Malcolm X

 

I first got to know about Malcom X thru my African American Ulum Al Quran lecturer who became a controversial figure herself later on. She lent me his biography and it was a crash course on Islam in America for me. 

This was a man who went from being a convicted felon to a fiery influencer for the Nation of Islam. But he was also misled by a false prophet. He found a different path, but was eventually murdered. 

The documentary is currently airing on Netflix. It's an absorbing watch, to say the least.

3 Things About Joker

1. In the film, Gotham was experiencing a strike by sanitation workers. This actually happened in New York City in 1968 when 7000 sanitation workers went on strike after the Mayor thumbed his nose to their demands for better pay. In just a couple of days, New York City was already drowned in garbage. The stench became unbearable and rats could be seen even in the more posh parts of the place. The city then declared a State of Emergency!

The Mayor still held out, but a few days later, with 100,000 tons of trash now uncollected, the sanitation workers finally won. That changed the collective attitude towards garbage men. These people are actually doing an important job. Today, sanitation workers can earn up to USD70,000 annually (with all perks and overtime thrown in). “They keep the city running”, it is said.

Now, think about those days during public holidays, especially when 2 or more holidays coincide with each other and rubbish goes uncollected at YOUR housing area. Is it a pleasant feeling? Yes, it’s a dirty job, but a very important one.

Unfortunately, even after a very serious lesson learnt in NYC, the world is still stuck in a system that rewards bullshit jobs over the ones rendering critical services. (To know more about bullshit jobs, google it). Why are teachers and nurses still low on the pay scale, when agents of capitalism who merely manipulate money and don’t really create anything, get rewarded handsomely? 

What’s stopping us from just saying, from this day on, teachers, nurses, the army etc, will be paid more than these greedy bozos? Because they don’t have degrees and MBAs? Really? That’s more important than teaching our kids to be good, knowledgeable human beings and saving our lives? 

2. Extreme self-bias, lack of empathy and plain ‘ol ignorance will literally kill society. Self-bias in a sense that all I care about is my own perspectives and beliefs, and that’s the end of it. Stuff like mental illness means nothing to you and it’s not really your problem. 

There is no need to find out more about this mumbo jumbo cos really, people should just toughen up and not bother society with it. And of course, it goes just beyond that. What do we really know about the people who live across the street? Are we the ones oppressed or the ones doing the oppressing? 

The badge of self-entitlement comes from this severe lack of perspective, driven by nothing but dogma. I’ll have 10 of these, you can have 2. I don’t really care if you need 5. It’s all about me, really. 

3. Capitalism can’t solve problems that capitalism itself created.

Interstellar: A Sort Of Review

From my FB status:

So I watched INTERSTELLAR on IMAX a few days back.
Initial random thoughts...

It's almost 3hrs long, but it didn't feel like it to me. That's mainly because I love long movies... Dances With Wolves, Titanic (ahem)...

IMAX is the way to watch it. The cinema literally shook each time a space shuttle was launched... (but after the first launch, it is recommended you do NOT go to the toilet, or you'll miss some important Michael Caine mumbo jumbo).

The robots weren't as cute as Twiki (80s children would get this), but definitely wittier.
There were times when I thought, "M.Night Shyamalan finally got his shit back!" Only to remind myself it's actually a Nolan film (no hate mail pls. I do love Nolan)

In the end, it didn't feel like a film. It felt more like visually astounding sequences that required you to see and solve through mental deductions, BEFORE you are allowed to move on to the next stage. At some points, you might even be tempted to whip out your calculator, and those "useless" add maths lessons might finally come in handy!

The "fun" stuff out of the way, let's get serious with some SPOILERS....

So, what happened at the end?

Popular theories include:

1. Dude actually died, and the whole final act was just his immediate afterlife dream (seriously, how do you survive being ejected in deep freakin' space lah. No, not even space. Deep freakin' BLACK HOLE).

2. Love really CAN conquer it all. Which should give us all hope. I mean, even when our world is about to end, and we get lost in space, LOVE will propel us into another dimension that (here's the best part) has ALL THE BEST BOOKS in the whole damn world.

I would go with theory 1. But 2 also can lah.

The fact is, I'm still stuck at: "Did the top actually stop spinning?"

"Nur Kasih The Movie" Rentap Perasaan Peminat

Here's my Nur Kasih The Movie review as translated by GUA :

Lupakan apa saja yang telah dihebohkan dan digembar-gemburkan oleh filem tempatan yang lain! Terkini, "Nur Kasih The Movie", filem yang dijangka menerima sambutan hangat penonton tahun ini akan mula ditayangkan mulai 19 Mei ini di seluruh Malaysia dan Brunei. Drama bersiri tersebut berjaya mencetuskan fenomena dua tahun lalu ketika ia ditayangkan di TV3 apabila berjaya menarik minat lebih 19 juta penonton, sekaligus mengubah persepsi penonton mengenai industri penyiaran tempatan.

Pelakon-pelakon yang membintangi drama bersiri ini, terutama sekali Tiz Zaqyah selaku pendukung utama wanita berjaya melonjakkan namanya sekelip mata sahaja seiring dengan kejayaan drama tersebut yang sentiasa menjadi topik perbualan hangat sehingga apabila kemuncak drama ini ditayangkan. Ini jelas terbukti, di ‘catch-up videos’ di laman web www.tv3.com.my, ia telah dilawati lebih 64 juta pengunjung! Iya, Seramai 64 juta penonton yang telah mengikuti drama bersiri arahan Khabir Bhatia ini menerusi online.

Lupakan tentang drama, ayuh kita bercerita tentang filemnya pula!

Sebelum saya meneruskan ulasan saya, perlu saya jelaskan kepada anda yang saya telah dicemburui oleh ramai orang apabila diberitahu yang saya sudah pun menonton “final cut” filem Nur Kasih The Movie ini. Peminat fanatik drama ini telah menberi amaran kepada saya supaya jangan terlalu panjang lebar mengulas plot filem itu. Mereka berkata “tak syoklah kalau dah tau”. maka, ulasan filem ini akan saya cerita sedikit sahaja tanpa merosakkan keseronokan dan ‘feel’ anda ketika menonton kelakber.

Sebenarnya filem ini adalah rentetan atau sambungan drama bersiri Nur Kasih yang telah tamat ditayangkan. Cerita ini berkisar mengenai konflik percintaan tigasegi diantara Nur Amina (Tiz Zakyah), dan adik beradik, Aidil (Fizz Fairuz) dan Adam (Remy Ishak). Seperti yang kita tahu, Adam berkahwin dengan Nur demi memenuhi permintaan ayah Adam yang sedang sakit, dan dalam masa yang sama abangnya, Aidil menyimpan perasaan terhadap Nur.

Perwatakan Adam yang agak kasar menyebabkan dia tidak melayan Nur dengan baik. Tetapi keadaan berubah apabila Adam menemui sinar baru dalam hidupnya. Perkahwinan yang kembali indah berubah dek kerana Nur diuji dengan berita kehilangan Adam yang dipercayai meninggal dunia di luar negara. Drama “happy ending” ini ternyata tidak menghampakan peminat siri Nur Kasih ini. Jelasnya, di akhir episod drama ini, Adam masih hidup dan pulang ke pangkuan Nur, dan dan mereka berdua hidup bahagia selamanya.

Adakah kemuncak drama bersiri itu tetap sama di dalam filem?

Babak ketika perlanggaran keretapi di sebuah negara di Timur Tengah pada lima minit pertama permulaan filem ini bisa merungkai dan membongkar plot yang amat penting. Dalam waktu yang sama, Emosi penonton bakal terpukul ketika babak Aidil yang kehilangan isteri kesayangannya Aliya (Ayu Raudah). Sebab kematian Aliya tidak ditonjolkan serta-merta tetapi dijelasnya menerusi visual yang Aidil sedang menderita dalam kesedihan yang teramat atas kematian Aliya.

Dalam masa yang sama, Adam dan Nur sedang menjalani kehidupan yang bahagia walaupun mereka belum lagi dikurniakan cahaya mata. Masa mereka banyak terisi di rumah perlindungan kanak-kanak termasuklah kehadiran seorang remaja lakonan Sara Ali dengan jelasnya mempunyai perasaan terhadap Adam. Dan ketika Nur menerima berita gembira tentang kehamilannya, pasangan ini merasa amat bahagia.

Plot diteruskan dengan Adam dan Nur yang kemudiannya berhijrah ke Jordan kerana ingin bertukar angin dan bercuti. Di plot ini, kita boleh lihat apa yang sebenarnya terjadi di sebalik kejadian keretapi itu (plot permulaan) dan akibat dari perlanggaran tersebut.

Kembali ke babak di Kuala Lumpur, Aidil masih bergelumang dengan kesedihan. Sesiapa yang menonton pasti akan simpati melihat keadaan Aidil terutama sekali adegan ketika seorang anak kecil (lakonan Mia Sara) membuat pengakuan pelik tentang arwah ibunya. Tetapi bagi seorang yang cukup tabah, Aidil meneruskan kehidupannya dan turut bertanggungjawab membantu kanak-kanak dan remaja di rumah perlindungan sewaktu ketiadaan Adam dan Nur.

Sekali lagi, saya tidak akan menjadi perosak keadaan, tetapi apa yang saya boleh beritahu kehidupan Adam dan Aidil berada dalam situasi yang terancam. siapa yang akan mati? Siapa yang akan terselamat? Nak tahu, kena tengoklah nanti. Ok?

Apa yang saya boleh katakan di sini, saya betul-betul enjoy dengan filem ini. Para pelakon mempunyai keserasian dan amat selesa di antara satu sama lain di dalam setiap adegan. Lakonan mereka amat ‘natural’ dan tidak kekok. Tidak hairan sekiranya dialog-dialog dalam filem ini akan menjadi topik hangat di setiap status peminat siri Nur Kasih di laman Twitter mahu pun Facebook.

Diarahkan oleh Khabir Bhatia, kehebatan cerita ini memang tidak boleh disangkal lagi. Drama bersiri yang dahulunya hanya dinikmati di kaca TV kini beralih ke layar perak. Keseronokkan menonton di medium yang lain adalah satu pengalaman yang sangat berbeza. Ia terbukti dengan visual yang cukup menarik perhatian sewaktu pasangan berada di Jordan, jalan ceritanya nampak amat realistik, mengagumkan dan sangat lancar. Babak di pemandangan kehijauan lambaian jelapang padi di Malaysia, bisa membuatkan anda tenang dan aman.

Muzik latar yang digunakan juga cukup memberangsangkan hasil sentuhan Hafiz Hamidun. Sarat dengan adegan yang dramatik, ternyata membangkitkan lagi keunikan dan keistimewaan filem ini. Dan siapa sangka cerita cinta epik tempatan seperti ini akan menjadi kenangan yang sentiasa tersemat dalam ingatan setiap penonton filem ini.

Cuma ada sedikit kekecewaan di bahagian CGI (ya, kesan khas yang sebenar) yang tidak berapa menyengat berbanding adegan lain yang sememangnya menyeronokkan. Dan kepada penonton yang sebelum ini tidak pernah mengikuti perjalanan drama bersiri Nur Kasih di televisyen, mungkin akan tertanya-tanya ketika menonton di permulaan plot. Tetapi jangan risau, garapan cerita yang tersusun dan kemas sehingga ke hujung cerita, mampu membuatkan anda faham jalan cerita filem ini.

Dan ya, saya percaya Nur Kasih The Movie (ditayangkan pada 19 Mei 2011) akan mengegarkan pawagam anda dan dijangka akan mencapai tahap ‘box office’ setanding filem hebat yang lain. Bukan disebabkan peminat siri Nur Kasih yang sudah sememangnya ramai, tetapi kerana filem ini sememangnya sangat bagus. Jadi jangan lepaskan peluang menonton filem di pawagan anda yang berdekatan.

"Nur Kasih The Movie" Review

Forget previous proclamations made by other local films, THIS is the most anticipated movie of the year in this part of the world. I mean, the Nur Kasih TV series sparked a phenomenon a couple of years ago when it was aired on TV3, attracting over 19 million viewers and changing perceptions about local shows along the way.
..
The show’s stars, especially leading lady Tiz Zaqyah, shot into superstardom almost over night and Nur Kasih has remained on the lips and consciousness of the general public long after the last episode was screened. The catch-up videos on tv3.com.my meanwhile, notched up more than 64 million views. Yes, 64 MILLION VIEWS. Kapow!
..
So now, about the movie.
. But before I go any further, let me just tell you that I’ve been shot plenty of envious looks since I told people that I had actually watched the final cut of Nur Kasih The Movie. The hardcore fans have even warned me about revealing too many plot details (“tak syok lah kalau dah tau”, they say), and so, this “review” will reveal just enough stuff without threatening to spoil your viewing pleasure.

And oh yeah, I’m not one of those hardcore fans that could remember every single scene and dialogue from the TV series (like I know every single thing about “Ali Setan”, for example). But I know enough lah. Haha.

So the movie is in fact a continuation of the series that basically featured the conflicts of a love-triangle of sorts between Nur Amina (Tiz Zakyah), and brothers Aidil (Fizz Fairuz) and Adam (Remy Ishak). We know that Adam married Nur due to his father’s dying wish although the pious Aidil clearly had feelings for her.

The loutish Adam went on to treat Nur like sh** but after he finally repented, their marriage came under threat when he went missing and presumed dead in a foreign land. But of course, he was still alive (though not exactly “kicking”) all along, and by the final episode, we saw him returning home to Nur (yay!), and everyone lived happily ever after.
Or did they?
.Apart from a train crashing in a middle eastern country, the first five minutes of the film also reveals a very important plot point, i.e.: Aidil has lost his wife Aliya (Ayu Raudhah). (This is SIX YEARS after we last saw them in the series, btw). The reason for her demise is not immediately revealed but Aidil is now suffering in the depths of despair and it is my prediction that the crying will already start in the cinemas within these first few minutes. So, crank out the tissue boxes early, yeah?

Also, at this point, I bet the women in the theatres will be going: “I’ll marry him! I’ll marry him! Tak kiralah dia single father, janji macho dan beriman, ok?” Hehe.

Meanwhile, Adam and Nur are leading a rather good life, although still childless. Their spare time is spent at a shelter for troubled kids, including one (Sara Ali) who obviously has the hots for Adam. And when Nur receives confirmation from the doctor that she’s finally pregnant, the couple feels like they’re on top of the world.
.Like I said, I won’t spoil it too much for you lot, so I’m skipping one important plot point and just tell you that Adam and Nur would later wind up in Jordan for some R&R. It is there that we see what really happened to that train and the consequences of it.

Back in KL, Aidil is still bergelumang dengan kesedihan, and you would really feel for him, especially when the kids (one of whom is played by the super adorable Mia Sara) make awkward statements about their late mom. But the fighter that he is, Aidil soldiers on and even helps to look after the shelter for troubled kids in the absence of Adam and Nur.
.

Again, I won’t be giving away big spoilers, but just to say that both Adam and Aidil will be put through life-threatening situations. Who will die? Who will survive? Ah, kena tengok lah, ok?

I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the film. The actors have such great chemistry between them that even the corniest of lines or scenes seem natural and never out of place. And this film DOES have some retweet-worthy lines that will also no doubt be on the FB status updates of its legion of fans.

Directed by Kabir Bhatia, there’s also no doubt that this is one absolutely gorgeous film. And while the top-notch cinematography was only previously enjoyed on the small screen, seeing it on the silver screen is a different experience altogether. The scenes in Jordan especially, look stunning and soothing all at once and the sweeping paddy fields back in Malaysia will also take your breath away.

I also like the original music, expertly done by Hafiz Hamidun. The dramatic scenes greatly benefit from the soaring score and it lends a certain “bigness” to the film. And who would have thought that a local epic love story like this would have some memorable action scenes as well?

A minor disappointment is in the CGI department (yes, there’s actual special effects!) that looks, well, not as impressive as the rest of the film. And yes, those who’ve never seen the TV series at all, might have some questions about the plot earlier on, but everything is tied up nicely at the end; so no big worries there.

So yes, I believe Nur Kasih The Movie (opening 19th May 2011) will break all kinds of records at the box office. Not because of the hype or its huge fan base, but simply because it’s a pretty darn good movie...

Yasmin Ahmad's Films -- The Book, And My Other Thoughts

...

So, I finally picked up this book and despite being slow reader, finished it in just a couple of days. Hurrah for me.

I must say that it’s one of the best books I’ve read in recent times. Of course I’ve been a fan of its author Amir Muhammad for sometime now (although when I first read his columns in the NST, I thought: “Who the hell is this guy? Macam bagus je”), and the book was hard to put down and simply a delight to read.

I enjoyed the witty approach to the whole thing, and the trivia and other nuggets of info which came from personal knowledge are quite priceless. And although it’s a book about films, it’s not littered with too many film jargons and technical discussion.

But it did make me understand and see that stuff that I probably overlooked in Yasmin’s works before. And that’s the coolest part.

I must admit that I'm not the biggest fan you could find of Yasmin's films and commercials. I like most of them, but there was always that tinge of (forgive me) pretentiousness in her portrayal of people, and that sense of over-optimism, that bothered me quite a bit.

But that doesn't mean I was one of those who condoned the apparent personal attacks made on her by certain members of the media. I believe in freedom of expression (chewah), and it's always better to talk about stuff than shutting people up. If I really can't agree with someone, indifference will be my answer. Buat tak tau jelah, you know. Agree to disagree, and move on.

I never really knew Yasmin. The first time I met her was when she gave a talk at a media prima management retreat in 2007. I thought she was genuine with a lot of useful anecdotes to share. And that was the thing that struck me the most about her; someone who’s not “kedekut ilmu”.

Then I bumped into her at the premieres of “Mukhsin” and “Talentime”. But the last time I spoke to her was at a press conference gua.com.my organized. We had put together a contest in conjunction with the release of “Talentime”, and she had turned up for the PC and prize-giving ceremony.
...

I gave a speech that day and afterwards, she actually said to me: “Your speech was so funny!” I don’t think she’s the type who would say something she didn’t mean, so I took it as a nice compliment.

(Ironically, I found out later that she had a brother, Muzaffar, who was a schoolmate of mine. We actually hung out quite a bit, but I never got to know his other family members.)

Anyway, here are my own notes on her films:

Rabun
I remember watching it on TV3 with great anticipation. And because of the hype, I had expected to see another masterpiece ala “Maria” (starring Fatimah Abu Bakar and the late Mustaffa Noor), which I thoroughly enjoyed.

But I didn’t like “Rabun”. More specifically, I didn’t like the camera angles (or the lack of it). So I was disappointed. I thought the story was cute, and I wasn’t offended by scenes of elderly people getting fresh with each other, but I didn’t quite understand the execution. It was different, alright. But not in a good way, in my mind.

Sepet
I can’t quite recall where I saw this first, but most probably it was at a cinema. And I quite liked “Sepet”. The acting was admirable, and it was so different from everything else that was playing then. And I totally bought into the hype of this being the dawn of a new era for Malaysian cinema.

Again, I wasn’t offended or shocked by its content. Having grown up in a place like JB (which was exposed to other cultures via Singapore TV), the whole theme of inter-ethnic love and relationship wasn’t such a big deal for me.

The wacky family dynamics and idiosyncracies were nothing new to me as well, since I come from a mixed family background; my late mom being a non-malay convert herself, we always had a unique sense of openness and self-expression in our own household.

Gubra
I found “Gubra” (which I’m sure I watched on TV, and not in the cinema), to be the funniest of Yasmin’s films. Adibah Noor as the maid was a hoot and the first few minutes of the film was a joy to watch.

What I didn’t like was the subplots, which included one with prostitutes. I felt like there were some wrong messages being sent out somewhere in there, and it sort of renewed my skepticism of her over-optimistic worldview.

I also didn’t like how some religious exceptions were portrayed as the rule. This is also always the MO of certain people who try hard to justify what is haram as halal. They know who they are.

Mukhsin
I went to the premiere of “Mukhsin” at Mid Valley after being invited by the Grand Brilliance peeps. And this was the most “dreamy” of the lot. I liked the simplicity of the storyline and the boy who played the title character did a superb job.

But I must admit, when it ended, I wanted SOMETHING MORE to happen. Well, something DID happen; the cast and crew actually sang and danced (including some Media Prima finance people!) as the credits rolled, but I wanted a real closure. So I left the cinema feeling a tad disappointed.

Muallaf
Haven’t watched it yet and probably I never will.

Talentime
I saw “Talentime” twice. First, at the Sri Pentas theatrette when GB played the film just for me and some colleagues. At the end of it, I remember going: “Wow, I was really touched. This film would win awards, but probably won’t make money”.

The film featured a family speaking not only in English, but Yorkshire English! “Macam mana orang kampung nak relate ni?” I thought.

But I personally liked it, especially the songs. But like Amir pointed out in the book, there are quite a number of “tak logic” things about it; like how a school could get male students to pick up female students on motorbikes for gigs. Gila ke apa?


I was in Gold Coast, Australia, attending a new media symposium when I got the call about what had happened to her. “Bro, Yasmin passed away. She just collapsed here at Sri Pentas, and died,” said none other than 8TV big wig Ahmad Izham Omar.

Of course at that point, she hadn’t passed away, but after a few days in coma, the time came for her to meet her Maker.

I did shed a tear. Ever since both my parents passed on, I always feel a certain kind of sadness upon hearing such news, knowing very well what kind of effect it would have on the people the deceased left behind.

It also made me think about my own life, and what I would leave behind when I’m gone one day.

This book had quite the same effect on me.

2 Films, 2 Different Results

So today was a bit of a Movie Day Out for me, catching two flicks at one go, which I’ve not done in quite a while. And here are my reviews

Inception
Highly recommended by my tweet peeps, “Inception” stars Leonardo DiCaprio who plays Dom Cobb, the leader of a team of “dream invaders”, who are able to enter into people’s dreams and steal their secrets. But his one last job is to instead “start an idea” in a corporate dude’s mind, the process of which is called, “inception”.

...

The movie really forces you to think almost the entire time, and director Christopher Nolan (“Dark Knight”, “The Prestige”) basically doesn't give you a moment to even look at the popcorn you're shoving into your mouth (although, as usual, some people where happily chatting away the entire time, the bastards).

Your mind needs to stay alert all the time, as you build the puzzle together with the characters. And that's a really satisfying thing when you watch a film.

Incidentally, it was only recently that I got really interested in matters of the subconscious and "dream surfing", so it was extra satisfying for me.

Of course, I cannot not mention the technical virtuosity displayed by Nolan. The scenes served up ARE really like our dreams; real, yet puzzling, and fantastical.

I mean, I can't tell you how many times I myself have gone from taking the bus to KL and ending up in Paris or LA in my dreams!

The actors did a fine job as well, although maybe they could have casted someone a tad more, um, mature than Ellen Page who plays one of Cobb’s team members.

The only gripe I have is with the script; there was too much explaining of the expository bits for comfort.

But overall, this is an instant classic, and the best movie I've seen this year. No doubt about it.


Predators

A bunch of people who are themselves “predator-like” are plonked on to an alien planet where they become the “hunted”. One of which, is an American mercenary played by Adrien Brody.

And that’s one of the problems, really; Adrien Brody is hardly believable as the bad ass military man. And the Batman voice is just plain ridiculous.

Maybe a Predator movie can never be good in my mind cos we've basically seen it all before and nothing could come close to the very first one that Arnie made a classic. But at least, give it a good shot lah.

The script, especially, is an absolute disgrace. There are plenty of chances to make it wittier and, um, better, but the filmmakers just couldn’t be bothered.

In one of the scenes, a character said: "There's a belief in my community that bla, bla, bla..." And the other one merely replied: "Yeah, whatever".

That's it? That's the best sarcastic/clever remark they could think of? Is this Hannah Montana?

The action scenes are equally unimaginative, with only one, which involved a samurai battle, sticking out in mind.

But really, the characters are just a bunch of clichés, and we basically know who's gonna die first in the first five minutes. Yeah, it is THAT predictable.

And oh, there's also a Laurence Fishburne cameo that will help you fall asleep in case you weren't already, one hour into the film.

But I guess “Predators” hit the mark as the “B” film that it is.

If “B”, is for “Bullshit”.

10 Films I Watch Over And Over

Inspired by a piece on ew.com recently, here’s my list of the 10 films I can watch over an over and over again...

Return Of The Jedi
Not the best, but Jedi is in fact my favourite Star Wars film. I even liked the ewoks, ok?

School Of Rock
Rock 'n' roll and comedy. And Jack Black! How can it get any better than this? Fave bit? Every time Jack Black launches into a song… His facial expressions are priceless. And for the record, I have the VCD, DVD and soundtrack to boot.

Nacho Libre
Another Jack Black flick. Hugely underrated, but loaded with awesome and awkward dialogue, like: “Chancho, sometimes when you’re an adult, you wear stretchy pants in your room. It’s for fun”. Haha!

Jerry Maguire
Yeah, yeah… I’m also quite the romantic. There, I said it. And with a sports setting, I’d watch this 12 times in 24 hours, no prob. It completes me.

Cocktail
Tom Cruise makes great dude movies, and this one made me want to go to New York and work at a bar more than anything else in life at that time. The waterfall scene is not too shabby either.

...

Ali Setan
So many great lines, and funny till today. It was 1Malaysia before the concept existed. And yes, I had a crush on Ogy. A huge one.

Notting Hill
A quiet romantic flick that gets better with every viewing. A fantasy every guy can relate to, no?
...
Back To The Future 2
The cool “futuristic” gadgets, the slightly-confusing plot, memang best lah. There’s no better Time Machine movie out there till today.

Braveheart
When I first saw it, I couldn’t stop thinking about it for days. It raises your spirits and makes barbaric seems romantic. The true power of a film.

...

Superman 2
So yeah, he gets all lovey-dovey and loses all his powers. But the 3 equally-powerful baddies was a great idea, and I simply love the opening Eiffel Tower scene. Altho I do despise Lois Lane.

Mukhsin's the name

There was a press screening of the award-winning film on Tuesday at GSC Mid Valley and after hinting several times at the organizers, I received an invitation eventually (Thanks Iesta! I’ve got the ‘stuff’ you requested, come over when you’re free).

The who’s who of the local entertainment industry was there: David Teo, Osman Ali, Fatimah Abu Bakar’s entire clan (73 pax), Habsah Hassan, Ning Baizura and of course, Yasmin and her cast and crew.

Anyway, in return for that last minute invite, I am obligated to blog about the movie. But since there were other qualified bloggers in attendance, I have no doubt they’ll come up with much better reviews that contain fancy words such as keanggunan sinematografi, kebobrokan politik and fatamorgana (maybe not the last one).

I’ll stick to the simple stuff.

Mukhsin’s a story bout this boy, Mukhsin (duh), who hooks up with cutie Orked after first laying eyes on her at a kampong playground. He’s 12, she’s 10. They then climb some trees, fly some kites and basically bum around during the school holidays.

Things then get a little touchy then (literally and figuratively) and soon they were no longer climbing trees and flying kites because it's kinda complicated emotionally. Oh yeah, there’s also a cool Vespa somewhere in there.

So if you’ve always liked Yasmin’s stories and the way her movies look, make sure you buy a ticket when Mukshin opens on March 8th.