Seen And Heard: Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen

Woww, I actually don't know how to start writing about this. Anyway, yeah after months of anticipating, hundreds of hours being teased and drooled by the trailers, tv spots and many more, the time has finally come; I have actually watched Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen! Before I go any further, let me just brief you on the happenings surrounding this movie. All of our premieres should start on Thursday (they'll show pre-scrennings on Wednesdays), and somehow for this movie the premierre date was shifted a day earlier (and don't ask me, I don't know why). The buzz coming out from this movie was so big, all of the tickets are merely sold-out till next week! I do not kid you, I received feedbacks ranging from online bookings to people who queued for tickets, and radio commentaries. I can't even get access to GSC's website to check out the tickets! Let me tell you this, as far as I can remember, that NEVER happened before! I can't believe the magnitude of the hype for this movie (and all the more reasons to actually watch this movie). Long story short, my sister managed to get tickets for it @ GSC Signature, The Gardens (nothing beats watching an awesome title at awesome cinema, with comfy huge seats, less crowd (well, that's what I think at first)). So midnight at 12, I was there, ready to watch the movie I've been waiting for so long.

Now I'm attempting to write what I think about the movie. Before that, I've been receiving buzz about how 'not so good' the early reviews went, so I decided to actually check out what they have to say before I say anything. I'm trying to be realistic with what I am about to write, also to give some reassurance as to what I felt is true and not.

Let's go to some plot summary, shall we? (Note to readers: spoilers ahead!). First of all, I thought the title itself was referring to the fall of the Autobots due to revenge by the Decepticons, which...is not! The Fallen is actually a character on this movie (more on that later). So the Autobots and the military have formed a special force to combat the remaining Decepticons (the universe has started expanding, introducing cities like Shanghai and Cairo). On the other side of the world, Sam (played by Shia LeBouf) is moving on with his college life, and his ever awesome
superhot girlfriend Mikaela (that's Megan Fox y'all!), trying to work things out in a long distance relationship. All of a sudden, Sam got all wacko when he touched the frags of the AllSpark (the huge cube thingy majiggy) and saw images of weird symbols, ancient Cybertronian language of some sort; which in the end led it to a deadly machine once built by the Decepticons. The Transformers as we know it depends on Energon as their source of energy, and they sort of harvest it from planet to planet (with exception of planets with living beings). That's where The Fallen steps in. He is apparently the degil one, wanting to harvest Energon from the sun surrounding Earth. They then had this civil war (which happened thousands of years ago) whereby the key to leadership throne (on this movie it's called the 'matrix'). Anyway, the matrix was sealed off by the elderly leaders hoping the The Fallen will not ever find it, till today. So thus begin the battle in order to attain the matrix (oh and did I not mention, Megatron was resurrected by his fellow Decepticons?) and apparently take commands from The Fallen. And let me tell you this, it is lonnngggg battle!

So that's about the plot summary summary (I can't be bothered to write everything). Go watch it yourself, haha. Let's get to the good parts, shall we? In this movie, you'll definitely see new robots (for those who followed the series way back then), you'll know what I'm talking about. We're talking Constructicons forming into Devastator (it's massive I tell you!), Demolisher, Soundwave (the weird talking comunications Decepticon), Sideways, even Arcee is in! And the action was kick-ass in my opinion. You definitely feel like living in your childhood again, watching this characters battle it out. The battle and actions scenes have been increased up a few notches, and if you're into having a good time watching a good popcorn movie with mates and all, this if for you! The destruction magnitude is just gargantuan (I felt sorry for those who built the pyramids, let's just say it has undergone massive makeover) Another reason to watch it? Megan Fox! Simply translated, hot, hot , hot!!!

So, let's go to the 'not so good' aspects according to the viewers. First, the length of the movie claimed to be too long, and so some of the scenes are made too draggy. I can't complain much about the the lengthy running time. It is a little bit on a long side, but heck, the action scenes are long too! I got out of the cinema thinking ' man tere was nothing in between, action action all the way). I do agree on the draggy scenes though. The college scenes were a little long. Next people claimed that it lack storyline. Now, this I have to comment! I don't expect much storyline at all (at long as it makes sense, it's fine by me!) I'm not here to see a brilliant masterpiece of storytelling, I want to see top notch action sequence, things got blown up and stuff. That is why I wanted to watch Transformers in the first place! Robots in action turns me on! (haha, there, I said it). I'm not expecting to watch another 'The Dark Knight' and 'The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button', if I wanna see those type of movies, I'll get tickets for it. This is just not about that. Then, there's the comedy aspects of it. I think some are great additions but some of it are plain unnecessary. This is not a comedy. I don't expect to scene funny scenes in all scenes.

I know in the end this movie will not satisfy everything. So I suggest you guys to go and watch it, and give yourself a thought about how it went. Personally, I went to see robots (and Megan Fox) in action, and I managed to appreciate it. I enjoyed my time watching, it was a good popcorn movie with stimulating visuals, although some of the plot aspects can be improved or removed. A 6.5 stars from me. To those of you who haven' watched it, go to your nearest cinema now (let's hope that they're still tickets) Signing off, transform and roll-out!

p/s: do you have to ask why do I put Megan's pix on the header?

Seen And Heard: Angels and Demons

So, summer is approaching for all of us movie buffs! This season kicks off with the opening of two sensational blockbusters worthy of not being downloaded over the Internet. Fighting for the top spot is the legendary Star Trek (which a lot of you, I’m sure grew up watching the franchise, which I don’t sadly) and Angels and Demons (the prequel of the great Dan Brown’s The DaVinci Code novel series, now adapted into a major motion picture). While I haven’t got the chance to watch the former, I have just returned from watching the latter.

In this installment, Tom Hanks returns as the Mr Know-It-All symbologist Robert Langdon. He is on a quest to uncover the mystery behind the legendary infamous secret society, known as the Illuminati, which threatens to seek revenge against the Vatican. From what I understood, the Illuminati are the secret brotherhood, you can say of which science is their core ‘religion’. The Vatican is concerned over the ideals they fight for, sciences over religion (in this case, Christianity). And so the Vatican took an oath to eliminate the Illuminati once and for all. Till now, they were thought as a myth, which now seemed to reappear, seeking justice to what they have fought for. Their plan, is to destroy Vatican City by a means of antimatter, created by means of experimentations by a group of scientist in Switzerland. Prof. Langdon, being the expert at what he do best, tries to unfold the secret and thus save the Vatican from total abomination.

As far as the storyline goes, it is fairly straight forward, not-as confusing and mind boggling as the Da Vinci Code, also more fast-paced as Prof Langdon and the others are running against time to save Vatican (oops, no spoilers). I think The Da Vinci Code addressed a more radical ideal that needs a lot of appreciation from its readers and audience. Angels And Demons on the other hand addresses a more, universal ideals to be accepted and understood by audiences as to why Dan Brown initially wrote a book about it; which is on the co-existence between science and religion, which ultimately suggests that it is acceptable. I’m trying not to sound very professor-ish here. Hope that you guys got what I’m trying to say.

I understand that the Vatican were not exactly on the same page with the production crew during the filming, that they are not allowed to enter Vatican City to shoot this movie (yeah, this movie does step on some sensitivity issue), but may I say the production sets have been top notch. Scenes in Rome and Vatican City, especially is what have I expected; vibrant, spiritual, gargantuan (I just loved the statues, sculptures and all). It’s just epic in my opinion. Damn, should have visited Rome when I got the chance! And the score for this movie is just brilliant. I was literally seating on the edge of my seat during the 150-minute running.

So, summing up; a good summer flick to watch. Not as complicated as The Da Vinci Code, it’s fast-paced, stunning visuals, and Tom Hanks, of course. I’ll give it 7.5 out of 10 (I am saving my full mark for Transformers 2. By the looks of the trailer, it’s gonna be sick!). So go check it out!

aXXo: Public Enemy Number One, or Modern-Day Robin Hood?

Those of you who' s usually up to downloading movies, waiting for those DVD like quality, you are most probably aware of this name. I found this interesting article upon browsing through Digg.com. I wish to warn you that this is rather a long article. So, happy reading:)

Scene stealer: The aXXo files

To Hollywood executives, he's public enemy number one. To film fans around the world, he's a modern-day Robin Hood. As the internet's most prolific pirate makes his 1,000th illegal film download available to the masses, Tim Walker investigates the mysterious figure known only as aXXo.

At 8.40am on Monday 15 December, a new post appeared on an internet forum called the Darkside Release Group. "Darkside_RG" is a clearing house for internet pirates, a site dedicated to the online redistribution of movies, music and videogames. Its members happily spend their days sharing and discussing their ill-begotten booty on the site's many message boards.

The post in question contained a BitTorrent file – the most widespread and efficient filesharing method on the web – containing an illicit copy of a second-rate Kiefer Sutherland horror film called Mirrors. Though the mainstream media ignored it, this was a landmark moment for millions of filesharers worldwide: the 1,000th movie uploaded by aXXo, the internet's most popular and enduring pirate. If you already know his name, chances are you've been doing something illegal.

This aXXo may be anonymous, but he (or she, or they) is a global brand. His most popular uploads are downloaded illegally by up to a million internet users per week. His files regularly make up more than one-third of all the films trafficked on BitTorrent. Most of them are mainstream multiplex fare – aXXo's recent posts include Mamma Mia!; the Ricky Gervais black comedy Ghost Town; and Bangkok Dangerous and Eagle Eye, thriller vehicles for Nicolas Cage and Shia LaBeouf.

I told you that it's gonna be long, so if you wish to read the rest of it (and I think you should), go check out the full article here

On A Stroll...

Yaya (my sister) and I went to OU this afternoon. The plan in our minds are to watch The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button; turns out the reception of the movie want's something to be curious of! Only a handful of seats left (mind you, it's in the front row!) In the end, we thought 'Nah, we'll just watch Valkyrie then'. Got our tickets, and we went for a stroll along the shops. I was thinking of looking for some stuffs for my upcoming car; all those mengarut things you can think off: funny signs, air fresheners, decos for the dashboard...

As we walk along, we bumped into this mini exhibition. It's a Photos For The Future exhibition, joint hosted by The History Channel and Astro. There lies some collection of photos taken way back then. We're talking the 60's and 70's era y'all! You can see old pictures of siblings, weddings, even that old shop your dad and mum used to go to. Owh, there's even a shot of an old-skool barbershop. Nowadays, you can only see those modern, hip and trendy salons. It's a fascinating thing to see, in my opinion because in the end, every picture tells a story, a fascinating chapter of our life. For more info, visit the website.

Now, back to the movie. Valkyrie, starring Tom Cruise is a depiction of the assasination attempt towards the one and only - Adolf Hitler (in case you're wondering, yes..it is based on a true story of an actual event). God knows who much we hate (or love) him, and there's has been numerous attempts to assasinate him (I think there has been like what, 15 times?). The issue discussed in the movie is very sensitive and it is in my opinion a serious movie. The name Valkyrie, as what I'd understood, refers to a secret operation approved by Hitler, to be executed in the event of disruption or breakdown of law and order. I'm no good when it comes to history, but I think the depiction is accurate, the realism the film tries to bring is great, it's authenticity is established..not to mention, the cast has been splendid. I would give it a 4/5 due to Cruise's excellent potrayal as one of the key-plotters and the issue brought into hand (Germans? Nazis? Hitler? what's not to like?)

Till the next post...

Seen And Heard: Slumdog Millionaire

For the past few weeks it has been the awards buzz; there was the Golden Globe Awards and Screen Actors Guild. Apart from seeing the people in gorgeous couture, the awards show is about seeing the best movies. One of the nominated movies for best picture (and I think it won!) was this film called Slumdog Millionaire. It's basically a mid-budget film shot mostly in India, and the story is about a boy who becomes a contestant of 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire'. He then got arrested under the suspicion of cheating due to his ability to answer most of the questions. His life story was then unfold in the movie. Can't reveal much as that would be a spoiler. But I'm surprised to find out that it was a wonderful movie! It's funny, sad, and entertaining at the same time. Definitely one of the must-see movies this year. Trailers can be watched at Apple's trailer site The next movie on my list is The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, another Best Picture nominee, which I think will be released sometime mid or late February. Stay tune for my post!