It's one of those nights again. 5 in the morning here and I don't feel like sleeping at all, though I havn't taken a nap all day. Every now and then it hits me pretty hard how far away from home and everything I know and love that I am, and even though I'm about 2 weeks away from seeing it again, there are 4 papers in between me and that. Even now it's bothering me that by sleeping late I'll end up sleeping most of tomorrow and not having enough sleep, which will affect my study plan tmr ... ... Fuck that.
I watched Top Gun earlier tonight. It was one of my favourite films as a kid, though I never actually understood the story and all. That along with Flight Of The Intruder, which went even higher above my head as a child. Kinda sad though, that nobody makes movies about fighter planes and pilots anymore, nor are there any good flight simulator games going around. Doesn't every kid dream of being a pilot at some point in his life?
I also won $30 by coming in 3rd in my weekly poker game on Sunday, which in all honesty didn't mean that much to me. It proved to me once and for all that money isn't the reason I play these games, but it's the thrill of the game that I'm paying for. Oddly enough I walked away with the money feeling slightly annoyed at myself for having gotten so far while playing like a scrub. But yea, it's nice to know that I'm not lying to myself for once. Seem to have been doing alot of that over the past few years.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Originality
I watched 'The Book of Eli' today (apparently Australia's kinda slow about certain movies) and I quite enjoyed the movie, which was why I was immensely surprised at the end where the words 'Based on the novel by so-and-so' were NOT shown during the credits.
It's not that I think sequels and print-to-screen adaptations are crap, (I'm still waiting for my Drizzt movie) it's just that every one in a while it's nice to have a breath of cinematic storytelling fresh air in a movie. I think the last original movie I watched was Avatar, which wasn't all that great either. And I refuse to believe that watching it in 3D would have enhanced my appreciation for it. And while some adaptations of literary works have been pretty awesome and extremely faithful to the original (Watchmen springs to mind), many have simply fallen short of the print version. And you can't say I shouldn't compare them because they are the SAME STORY. It has been ASKED to be compared to it's predecessor.
Worthy of some note are movies that take a basic storyline and characters, but decide to develop a semi-original plot. (The latest Batman series and the Marvel movies). Whether or not the plot is GOOD is an entirely different matter, as a fan of the latter example I found myself quite conflicted when I watched the Spider-Man and X-Men movies. One part of me was objectively thinking that these movies were pretty good and the other irrational fanboy part was screaming (OMG WHY IS TOBEY SO GAY WHY IS CYCLOPS SO EMO WHYDOESSHADOWCATHAVESOLITTLESCREENTIME) etc.
But really, original movies deserve the appreciation. In a day and time where any random collection of words can be turned into a movie (Julie and Julia, Da Vinci Code wtf) a plotline that can keep us on our toes is always worth following to the end. Sure there may be some inconsistencies and hiccups, but at least they have the excuse somewhat of having nothing much to fall back on. Adaptations have no such excuse.
I think the problem with movies adapted from print are the two primary kinds of people adapting them. (This rule can also be applied to sequels)Firstly, the corporate souless individual who couldn't believe how well the book sold and decided to make a movie out of it just to make more money. These guys have no real appreciation for how and what made the original so good (or in the Dan Brown's books cases, bad) and hence just produce a generic Hollywood film that fails to capture the essence and soul that was contained in that piece of literary work.
The second, and possibly worse, kind, are fanboys. Fanboys who believe that making a movie out of their favourite piece of work is the greatest justice they could ever do to the author and make a movie that is figuratively intended to suck the balls of every single other fan of the same author. In their movies you can almost see the drool oozing out of every scene. Shamayalan's The Last Airbender looks dangerously close to this kind of movie, but I'm praying to be proven wrong.
A good example of a successful print to screen adaptation would be everyone's favourite The Lord of the Rings. The success of Peter Jackson's trilogy didn't lie ENTIRELY in the EXPERT casting of Legolas, but more because the movie did not follow the book to the letter, but cut out only what was absolutely unnecessary and added dimensions and angles that Tolkien's writing simply couldn't bring out. Action scenes were far more dramatised, obviously, which was fine because the book was kinda dreary at times. Character development was consistent with the book, but brought out in a far more realistic fashion. (Hobbit homosexuality) But most importantly it kept true the THEMES of the book, which allowed the movie to be compared to the book and stand up because it stayed true to what the story was trying to tell. I could go on, and I'm not even a big fan of LOTR, which I suppose goes to show the level of appreciation I have for the adaptation.
I'm looking at the Coming Soon list and I can't say I'm looking forward to anything this year. Even Iron Man 2 just looks entertaining at best. I'm struggling to think now of the best original movie I've ever watched and I can't really say at the moment. It occurs to me that 95% of everything I've watched isn't original, which is sad, really.
It's not that I think sequels and print-to-screen adaptations are crap, (I'm still waiting for my Drizzt movie) it's just that every one in a while it's nice to have a breath of cinematic storytelling fresh air in a movie. I think the last original movie I watched was Avatar, which wasn't all that great either. And I refuse to believe that watching it in 3D would have enhanced my appreciation for it. And while some adaptations of literary works have been pretty awesome and extremely faithful to the original (Watchmen springs to mind), many have simply fallen short of the print version. And you can't say I shouldn't compare them because they are the SAME STORY. It has been ASKED to be compared to it's predecessor.
Worthy of some note are movies that take a basic storyline and characters, but decide to develop a semi-original plot. (The latest Batman series and the Marvel movies). Whether or not the plot is GOOD is an entirely different matter, as a fan of the latter example I found myself quite conflicted when I watched the Spider-Man and X-Men movies. One part of me was objectively thinking that these movies were pretty good and the other irrational fanboy part was screaming (OMG WHY IS TOBEY SO GAY WHY IS CYCLOPS SO EMO WHYDOESSHADOWCATHAVESOLITTLESCREENTIME) etc.
But really, original movies deserve the appreciation. In a day and time where any random collection of words can be turned into a movie (Julie and Julia, Da Vinci Code wtf) a plotline that can keep us on our toes is always worth following to the end. Sure there may be some inconsistencies and hiccups, but at least they have the excuse somewhat of having nothing much to fall back on. Adaptations have no such excuse.
I think the problem with movies adapted from print are the two primary kinds of people adapting them. (This rule can also be applied to sequels)Firstly, the corporate souless individual who couldn't believe how well the book sold and decided to make a movie out of it just to make more money. These guys have no real appreciation for how and what made the original so good (or in the Dan Brown's books cases, bad) and hence just produce a generic Hollywood film that fails to capture the essence and soul that was contained in that piece of literary work.
The second, and possibly worse, kind, are fanboys. Fanboys who believe that making a movie out of their favourite piece of work is the greatest justice they could ever do to the author and make a movie that is figuratively intended to suck the balls of every single other fan of the same author. In their movies you can almost see the drool oozing out of every scene. Shamayalan's The Last Airbender looks dangerously close to this kind of movie, but I'm praying to be proven wrong.
A good example of a successful print to screen adaptation would be everyone's favourite The Lord of the Rings. The success of Peter Jackson's trilogy didn't lie ENTIRELY in the EXPERT casting of Legolas, but more because the movie did not follow the book to the letter, but cut out only what was absolutely unnecessary and added dimensions and angles that Tolkien's writing simply couldn't bring out. Action scenes were far more dramatised, obviously, which was fine because the book was kinda dreary at times. Character development was consistent with the book, but brought out in a far more realistic fashion. (Hobbit homosexuality) But most importantly it kept true the THEMES of the book, which allowed the movie to be compared to the book and stand up because it stayed true to what the story was trying to tell. I could go on, and I'm not even a big fan of LOTR, which I suppose goes to show the level of appreciation I have for the adaptation.
I'm looking at the Coming Soon list and I can't say I'm looking forward to anything this year. Even Iron Man 2 just looks entertaining at best. I'm struggling to think now of the best original movie I've ever watched and I can't really say at the moment. It occurs to me that 95% of everything I've watched isn't original, which is sad, really.
Monday, March 22, 2010
National Pride
One thing I still don't get is when I greet somebody walks past me in the hallways with a 'Hey' and they reply 'How's it going?'
Like... am I actually supposed to reply to that? Sometimes I just don't say anything and we both continue on, but I feel kinda bad like I ignored his question. Then when I actually do reply something like 'Oh I'm good. Going for lunch now' or something there are also 2 possible outcomes. One being that the guy turns around and we have a small conversation and block up the passageway for a few minutes, and the other being that he/she just continues walking down without replying, or with a minor affirmation at most, leaving me feeling rather embarrassed for opening myself up for no reason.
I watched the first live soccer match since I came here last night and it was gratifying to know that Man U fans are every bit as obnoxious no matter which country they come from. The reaction of the Koreans when their countryman scored was quite a sight to behold though.
I walked into the computer lab the other evening and I saw a multi-national group gathered around a computer screen and they were laughing uncontrollably at some video. The people in the group included Malaysians, Indians, HKs, Koreans, Japs, Chinamen, Aussies, Pinoys and Americans. Curious as to what could attract the attention and tickle the funny bones of so many races I walked over to the computer screen and to my immense surprise I saw them going through a playlist of 'Gao Xiao Xing Dong' episodes with subtitles.
I have never before felt so proud to be a Singaporean. Apparently everyone back home hates him now for some scandal, but go back and watch Gao Xiao Xing Dong and remember what he did for the country's comedy scene.
Like... am I actually supposed to reply to that? Sometimes I just don't say anything and we both continue on, but I feel kinda bad like I ignored his question. Then when I actually do reply something like 'Oh I'm good. Going for lunch now' or something there are also 2 possible outcomes. One being that the guy turns around and we have a small conversation and block up the passageway for a few minutes, and the other being that he/she just continues walking down without replying, or with a minor affirmation at most, leaving me feeling rather embarrassed for opening myself up for no reason.
I watched the first live soccer match since I came here last night and it was gratifying to know that Man U fans are every bit as obnoxious no matter which country they come from. The reaction of the Koreans when their countryman scored was quite a sight to behold though.
I walked into the computer lab the other evening and I saw a multi-national group gathered around a computer screen and they were laughing uncontrollably at some video. The people in the group included Malaysians, Indians, HKs, Koreans, Japs, Chinamen, Aussies, Pinoys and Americans. Curious as to what could attract the attention and tickle the funny bones of so many races I walked over to the computer screen and to my immense surprise I saw them going through a playlist of 'Gao Xiao Xing Dong' episodes with subtitles.
I have never before felt so proud to be a Singaporean. Apparently everyone back home hates him now for some scandal, but go back and watch Gao Xiao Xing Dong and remember what he did for the country's comedy scene.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
When The Cold Wind Blows
Earlier this week when I was walking to school this line suddenly hit me, along with that tune. I stopped in my tracks and wondered 'wait where did that come from' before I remembered it was an army song. The second thing that hit me was 'wait again how does it go?' and to my immense satisfaction I COULD NOT REMEMBER. Til today I've still no idea how that song goes, and I'm really thankful for it. A small part at the back of my mind seems to remember it starts off by waking up in the morning, but the minute I say those 5 words another song starts playing in my head and the train of thought ends there.
So I've been here a month already and... I'm content. Not happy, the friends here can't really compare to the ones I've left behind and I met my dad for dinner because he happened to be here for the weekend and as he drove off there was a small pang and I felt all alone for a short while. Some times at night the bed feels too much like the one in camp, because of this weird Australian lack of faith in bolsters. (I've searched all over and not a single Australian shop sells bolsters. Very odd)
I guess apart from people what I really miss is the food. It's quite a simple common thing but I really do miss the Singaporean food. There are substitutes of all kinds due to the large number of Asians in Sydney, but somehow the same dishes don't really taste the same here as they do back home. Perhaps I'm being overly sentimental, which is (supposedly) not a good thing.
Autumn is coming soon. Seasons actually mean something here apart from game release dates, although I'll never get tired of the weather here.
So I've been here a month already and... I'm content. Not happy, the friends here can't really compare to the ones I've left behind and I met my dad for dinner because he happened to be here for the weekend and as he drove off there was a small pang and I felt all alone for a short while. Some times at night the bed feels too much like the one in camp, because of this weird Australian lack of faith in bolsters. (I've searched all over and not a single Australian shop sells bolsters. Very odd)
I guess apart from people what I really miss is the food. It's quite a simple common thing but I really do miss the Singaporean food. There are substitutes of all kinds due to the large number of Asians in Sydney, but somehow the same dishes don't really taste the same here as they do back home. Perhaps I'm being overly sentimental, which is (supposedly) not a good thing.
Autumn is coming soon. Seasons actually mean something here apart from game release dates, although I'll never get tired of the weather here.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Of Movies That Move
2 days ago I watched Shutter Island, which was quite possibly the best psychological horror/thriller movie I've ever seen. ... Okay if that's not saying much then it's the best psychological horror/thriller movie that I've ever WIKI-ed. And that is really saying something.
Also, over the last 5 days I've watched in spurts on the train The Wrestler. Normally watching a movie in parts doesn't really give you the full emotional effect that it's supposed to, but in the last scene and the subsequent credit track written by Bruce Springsteen (whom I've never really had any love for) I found myself tearing. It was quite possibly the most heart breaking movie I've ever watched in a long time. In fact to date I can only think of 3 other books that have ever induced such emotions in me, Charlotte's Web (I cried when I read the book the first... 2 or 3 times. The movie, not so much. Come to think of it the only thing the movie had going for it was Dakota Fanning), Great Expectations (no tears, just alot of emotion) and The Once and Future King. (I sat at my table in my office there just being overwhelmed for almost 30mins)
I'm sure there are others, but these are 3 from the top of my head. And somehow no other movies sprang to mind. I realise that most of the Literature that moves me usually has some sort of an unhappy ending. (Spoiler) And it's not that I like unhappy endings or anything. I actually far prefer happy endings to unhappy ones, and especially detest books/movies that throw in an unhappy ending just for the sake of it, to add controversy and drama. It's quite disgusting. Unhappy endings arn't something you throw in at the end, or worse, BEFORE the end of the story, the good ones are inevitable. It's not a shock in terms of a plot twist, but building up to it allows the full weight of the tragedy to come crashing down when it happens.
My need to discuss Literature is pretty damn high now that I've realised that I'm taking 3 Maths and 1 Econs module this sem. Sigh.
Also, over the last 5 days I've watched in spurts on the train The Wrestler. Normally watching a movie in parts doesn't really give you the full emotional effect that it's supposed to, but in the last scene and the subsequent credit track written by Bruce Springsteen (whom I've never really had any love for) I found myself tearing. It was quite possibly the most heart breaking movie I've ever watched in a long time. In fact to date I can only think of 3 other books that have ever induced such emotions in me, Charlotte's Web (I cried when I read the book the first... 2 or 3 times. The movie, not so much. Come to think of it the only thing the movie had going for it was Dakota Fanning), Great Expectations (no tears, just alot of emotion) and The Once and Future King. (I sat at my table in my office there just being overwhelmed for almost 30mins)
I'm sure there are others, but these are 3 from the top of my head. And somehow no other movies sprang to mind. I realise that most of the Literature that moves me usually has some sort of an unhappy ending. (Spoiler) And it's not that I like unhappy endings or anything. I actually far prefer happy endings to unhappy ones, and especially detest books/movies that throw in an unhappy ending just for the sake of it, to add controversy and drama. It's quite disgusting. Unhappy endings arn't something you throw in at the end, or worse, BEFORE the end of the story, the good ones are inevitable. It's not a shock in terms of a plot twist, but building up to it allows the full weight of the tragedy to come crashing down when it happens.
My need to discuss Literature is pretty damn high now that I've realised that I'm taking 3 Maths and 1 Econs module this sem. Sigh.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Wake Up In The Morning Feeling Like P.Diddy
So I've just spent my first night alone here and it's been pretty good so far, slept a little late because the guys in the opposite room were playing loud music and drinking til about 1+, but it wasn't TOO annoying. Bed was pretty nice, better than the one in army, and the temperature here's just nice for waking up to, kinda like switching off the air-con in the morning.
Anyway I'm supposed to head down to meet the arcade community in Sydney this evening, so if I get raped/kidnapped/anything my last known destination is 857 George Street, Sydney. Place called Good Games. Looking forward to it, though.
Anyway I'm supposed to head down to meet the arcade community in Sydney this evening, so if I get raped/kidnapped/anything my last known destination is 857 George Street, Sydney. Place called Good Games. Looking forward to it, though.
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