I asked my friend TK to surprise me with a movie selection and so he did. Watched “District 13” on the newly opened Cathay Picture House. I love it. Cynthia loves it. I am sure TK loves it too. An action film by Luc Besson with a unque concept of a no man’s land (District 13) set in Paris 2010. Go watch it.
Some people call it “chick-lit” (literature for chicks) but I do find it a very good read. Something I can sort of relate to (life of a professional) and had a good laugh from page to page. After I finished reading it, Cynthia took over, finished in one of two days, then passed it to her mother. I enjoyed it so much that I visited a bookstore and grab all her Shopaholic series. Trust me, it was not easy to carry 5 chick-lits to the counter. Author’s name is Sophie Kinsella. Hope you will like it too.
Related Entries: Remember Me By Sophie Kinsella – A Calculated Risk That May Or May Not Work For Some, Can You Keep A Secret?, and On Sophie Kinsella’s Shopaholic & Baby
Verdict: 8/10
Pros: Engaging scenes with a tightness that hold your attention from beginning till the end. Good acting from the lead actor and actress. And of course, Sophie Marceaus – the sexiest French on earth.
Cons: You probably may watch it again once or twice but not as many times as some of the other French foreign films.
It all started with the authorities’ desire to hunt down a business criminal William Zimmer whom has disappeared but has one weakness – Chiara (played by the beautiful French actress Sophie Marceau). From then on, it was a constant spinning of the story how Francois fell in love with Chiara in a random encounter only to find that he was manipulated and now hunt by hitmen and authorities. And of course the big question: Where is William Zimmer.
I must say that the scenes are well crafted that not one scene is in excess. The storyline is somewhat predictable but what is amazing is how the movie is being delivered despite it’s predictability. French films usually include quite a number of artistically made sex scenes but this one has none. Looking back, having those scenes in the movie will probably spoil the character development.
This is one movie that I will definitely get a DVD version when it releases.
Kicked start my new year movie journey with TK and watched Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. Probably because I went in with a high expectation (my wife said because we went in with an empty stomach), the show was good but not as good as I thought. The artwork is beautiful. However, the storyline is a bit simplistic and most of the time you are listening to Wallace talking to his dog Gromit that communicates only by facial expression. Also, a number of key incidents of the show is a bit illogical.
Another main reason is that I kept on comparing this movie with Corpse Bride.
Verdict: 9/10
Pros: Written in such a compassion that makes you smile and wipe with the author. Wonderful insights in other aspects of life and they are as real as they can be.
Cons: Can’t think of much except that if you are not into memoires kind of writing, you may not enjoy it. Even so, it is worth a try as the book is indeed a page turner. Another reason why this book could be a put off is that it contains more than a million words (as quoted by the author).
I have picked up a signed copy from a bookstore inside Singapore airport and the image shown is the exact signature of Jeffery Archer. It turned out that I have enjoyed this book tremendously. A rare gem I would say.
This entire work is divided into three volumns. The first of all is Belmarsh: Hell. It was written when Archer was first sentenced for four years due to perjury and Belmarsh was where he ended up: jailed together with drug dealers and murderers. Inside Belmarsh as he unveiled the politics inside the prison community, how your life could be made better by mixing with the right people, stories from the lifers, and stories that are so wierd that are even better than novels. Archer also revealed the flaw of the so-called rehabitation system.
When he finally moved to a less restrictive prison (quite a fair bit of interesting plots), that was when he penned the second volume – Wayland: Purgatory. His zest of inquisition never ended. He interviewed the prisoners as well as the prison officers and all gave a deep insight into the prison system as the serious drug problem that UK faced. Not to forget to mention the stories that make you laugh as you read along.
Moving to an open prison prompted him to write the third volume – North Sea Camp – Heaven. By then he was so expert in the prison system and worked hard to gain his enchanced state that provided him with privilages. Here was when he revealed the sad reality that many prisoners who have been model prisoners and been locked up in many years – simply cannot survive in the real world. The so-called stupid things they do just to get them back to jail again because they feel safe inside the four walls.
There is a final twist to this book but I am not going to reveal here. I am really glad that Archer – a politician as well as a writter – continued to write given the circumstances. This book is a must-read.