Category: My Opinion

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Movie Reviews Romance

He’s Just Not That Into You – My Buddy’s Just Not That Into The Signals Of The Opposite Sex

He's Just Not That Into You

My buddy whom I am not going to reveal here must have found the film rather confusing by the girls who dissect signals from a relationship in that kind of detail.  He fell asleep and snored (just a bit) halfway into the show.

Gosh!

Though I am from the male species, I do have my share of trusted moments when consulted by the opposite sex, analysing signals, giving my thoughts on why guys think or behave a certain way.  Girls love to analyse, guys love to theorize – just my observation.  OK.  Maybe “He’s Just Not That Into You” kind of over-dramatized the love relationships in just a bit, I thoroughly enjoy the dialogues and the storyline.

This more than 2 hours movie is loosely segmented into relationship topics such as why he’s not calling, what if she’s not sleeping with you, and etc.  And each topic has a hilarious opening act in form of an interview by an actor unrelated to the storyline.  A film with love stories of different forms and shapes intertwined with one another: a happily married couple with the husband tempted by a beautiful girl (*ahem* voted as the sexist girl alive by FHM in 2006 and I don’t blame the dude – who could resist?!), a girl’s relationship to a guy whom she doesn’t see her future with and involved with another one that shouldn’t have happened, a girl who finds relationships from within the online world, a happy couple who have been living together for 7 years and the girl suddenly wants to get married, and a girl who doesn’t seem to able to find love despite being very active in the dating scene.

There is hope – I think that is the theme of the film.

“He’s Just Not That Into You” has quite an impressive casting including famous actors and actresses such as Jennifer Connelly, Drew Barrymore, Ben Affleck, Scarlett Johnasson, and Justin Long as well as TV stars such as Ginnifer Goodwin of Big Love, Bradly Cooper of Alias, and Kevin Connolly of Entourage.  It is a talented cast with quality scripting.  The only reason I can imagine why this film has a lower than average rating is that if you think too deep on each topic, you may end up dissatisfied.  “He’s Just Not That Into You” doesn’t represent or generalize the guys and girls, the straights and the gays in our world.  It is just a collection of lighthearted stories to entertain.

I wonder which actresses are you favorite ones and why.  Here is my list (and Cynthia likes Jennifer Aniston the most).

  1. Ginnifer Goodwin – She is just adorable and I just love the drama.  I feel her story the most.
  2. Jennifer Connelly – I like the theme of able to deal with any issue in a relationship so long as the couple stays true to each other.
  3. Drew Barrymore – Her role is minor but she puts a smile to my face whenever she appears.  Best line: checking all these different portals just to get rejected by seven different technologies.
Categories
Book Reviews Non-Fiction

Leadership in the Era of Economic Uncertainty by Ram Charan – Loud and Clear, Concise Yet Actionable

Leadership in the Era of Economic Uncertainty

The message is clear, the timing couldn’t be more appropriate, getting the right things done in difficult times calls for a different kind of leadership, a different set of strategy.  It is because the rules have changed.  Global economy no longer favors a revenue growth strategy; profitability and cash-efficiency are now the keys to survival.  “Leadership in the Era of Economic Uncertainty” is as current as a business book can get.  As mentioned in the book, liquidity crisis in September 2008 has brought down a few US Investment Banks; by November, our world economy has entered into recession or a slowdown in growth for some countries.   Ram Charan – a world-renowned adviser to business leaders and corporate boards – makes it loud and clear that unless the business leaders do the right things, they would well be joining the list of Richard Fuld of Lehman Brothers, James Cayne of Bear Stearns, Daniel Mudd of Fannie Mae, Richard Syron of Freddie Mac, Martin Sullivan of AIG, Ken Thompson of Wachovia, Alan Fishman of Washington Mutual, and Fred Goodwin of the Royal Bank of Scotland.

“Leadership” is primarily targeted to the CEO, CFO, COO, Business Segment Managers, the Board of Directors, and their supporting offices.  It also touches onto other key supporting units such as Research & Development, Public Relations & Investor Relations, Human Resources, Information Technology, Supply Chain, and General Counsel.  Starting with the CEO role, Ram Charan has authoritatively stressed the importance of cash efficiency, the intensified real time management mandate, the decisive confidence that a CEO must exhibit, amongst other essential leadership traits that he has highlighted in his book.

For the Sales and Marketing people at the front lines, what should the new organizational structure be?  How should the new set of key performance indicators be like in this downturn?  Which customers to drop?  How to protect brand reputation? 

For the CFO, in this toxic environment, being called to step up as a leader of the organization, what are the things that need to be done?  Do people outside the CFO office understand the effects and impact of a shortage of liquidity and how their decisions can affect liquidity?  Are the real time metrics of cash flow, cash generation, cash collection, cash usage, and etc. ready at hand?  Can the budgeting process become a streamline exercise that only takes a few days?

For the COO, what is the lowest cash break even point that is achievable?  How to get there?  For the R&D, how to make the best use of resources?  For the Supply Chain, how not to compromise cash flow and customer service?  For the HR, what are the considerations for head count reduction?  What about compensation, succession and talent planning, and training?  For the Board of Directors, what kind of guidance shall be given during hard times?

According to Ram Charan, for those companies that survive this economic uncertainty, they will emerge smaller, fewer customers, sell fewer products, fewer suppliers, few layer of management.  However, the process will be simpler and more efficient and the company will become stronger.  “Leadership” is concise (138 pages) and after working in the consulting and corporate environment for more than a decade, I believe that it is of beneficial to the business leaders and their supporting officers as well as the internal and external advisers to the business.  Even for those who have just started their career, this is a good book to give the readers an overview on the key components of an organization and the role each component plays.  I wish I had read such a book when I was much younger.

Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (December 22, 2008)
ISBN-10: 0071626166
ISBN-13: 978-0071626163

External Link: Ram Charan

Categories
Country Folk & Jazz Music Reviews

Taylor Swift – Fearless – Less of Country and More of Pop This Time

Taylor Swift, Fearless

It is easy to forget that onto the second album, Taylor Swift is only 19 years old.  17 when she first released her debut that in my previous review, I have strong belief in her potential.  In 2006, she topped the US Country chart while attaining a 5th on the US Billboard 200.  “Fearless” topped all the major charts in US and Canada, which comes as a surprise to me in some sense, not a surprise in another.

Personally I prefer her debut “Taylor Swift” to “Fearless”.  I am in love with the song “Teardrops On My Guitar” and “Tim McGraw”.  The lyrics of her previous album are more emotional, the country ambiance blends well with her young sweet voice.  Her level of maturity exhibited in “Taylor Swift” fools me in believing that she is older than what she seems.  In “Fearless”,  the country sound is much toned down and her song topics while still evolve around love relationship of a young girl now go into the hearts of the mid teens such as the song “Fifteen”.

“Fearless” is a pleasant album to listen to.  No, there is no “Teardrops On My Guitar”.  What comes close, to me, is “You’re Not Sorry”.  Needless to say, the country-heavy upbeat “You Belong With Me” is another favorite track.  “Fearless” is a pop album with a tint of country flavor.  Taylor Swift may have overstretched her voice in some parts of the song and perhaps, it is this sense of genuine approach that draws the crowd.  It takes three consecutive solid albums – in my book – to have me converted into a loyal fan.  And I have high hope for her next album.

Speaking as such, in the name of Country, I have high hope for Carrie Underwood‘s third album too.  Below is the official video of one of Taylor Swift’s singles from this new album, “Love Story”.

Categories
Drama Movie Reviews

Beyond the Topic of Doubt Lies the Question of Compassion and Love

Doubt

How certain that you are right before you can justify the action of going all out to bring someone or something down?  Do the means justify the ends?  And in this pursuit of justice and goodness, where does compassion lie?

These are the questions that have gone through my mind since I have watched the movie “Doubt”.

The original play written by John Patrick Shanley in the year of 2004 has staged an interesting story against the timeline of 1964.  A brief look into being black, being gay, nuns and priests, against the reform of the Second Vatican Council in that year whereby the Christian dogma was being examined to make it relevant to the modern world.

Being a Catholic, I am often weary about yet another movie that exposes the negative side of the Christian faith.  And sure, at times, I wonder how much money has our Holy Father authorized just to settle all the child molest cases globally.  However, I still believe that Catholicism has a lot to go for.  Just because terrorism is bred in the name of Islam in some isolated regions of the world doesn’t reflect anything negative about the religion. 

I enjoy watching slices of Catholicism from within “Doubt”.  Thought it seems strange to me that without any opening prayers the movie dives right into the sermon that has little linkage to the Bible, some parts of the Eucharistic celebration are pretty authentic.  Like the turning of bread into the body of Jesus at the alter by the priest with the altar boy ringing the bell at each key prayer.  Also, it is interesting that the concept of doubt is being highlighted.  In my faith, at least how I internalize it to be, there is always this element of “God works in a mysterious way” and to bridge that, it is called faith.  But how do we believe in something when we cannot see it?  We all feel the emotion of love, but what is love?  How do we know love exists?  And in “Doubt”, the concepts of forgiveness, compassion, and confession are also explored.

“Doubt” is a joy to watch, even if purely from the acting point of view.  All four actors and actresses deserve to be nominated for Oscar – and they have – as well as the nomination for the Best Adapted Screenplay.  I personally would like to see Meryl Streep winning the Best Actress category.  She is that good.

Categories
Drama Movie Reviews

Bride War – Chick Flick Double Dose

Bride War

How much weight has Kate Hudson put on?!  I wonder if it is part of the acting in character process that some actors or actresses have to go through.  However, even if she looks like a smurf, her smile still melts hearts.

Cynthia disagrees.  She prefers Anne Hathaway.  I too am a big fan of Anne, on the record.  And when you put the two onto one film, although the general review is pretty bad, we just have to see for ourselves.

Just minutes into the show, I started to think of my favorite Sophie Kinsella‘s chick lits.  Not that the storyline of “Bride War” is that great.  Like my favorite chick lit series, the character development of the male species is pretty non-existence, which is OK for this genre.  Though I wish there is more chemistry between these two beautiful brides and their counterparts.  Having said that, the chemistry between Kate and Anne is pretty convincing.  They have acted like best friends – a tiny little bit like Hathaway in “Rachel Getting Married” kind of finishing-each-other’s-sentences scenes.  And when they fight, boy, it is sexy.

I am not entirely sure how friendship in the world of female species works.  But if there is something realistic that comes out of “Bride War”, this could be it.  A light hearted movie, predictable storyline, lots of eye sweeteners, and lots of moments that you just hope that they-didn’t-do-that.  Would there be a “Bride Wars 2: Baby Shower”?  OK.  This begins to sound very much like going into the direction of another click lit series.

On a side note, I am really looking forward to watching the film “Confessions of a Shopaholic” staring none other than my favorite actress Isla Fisher.  My fingers are crossed hoping that this adaptation won’t be a screw up.  If so, I will certainly join the Sophie Kinsella fan club to protest.

Categories
Animation Foreign Movie Reviews

Ponyo On The Cliff By The Sea – That Can’t Be A Gold Fish, Can That Be?

Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea

Japanese imagination knows no bound, I must say.  A gold fish that looks like a baby girl to me except the missing limbs and the ability to live both in and out of water.  Am I the only one who wonder if I was reading the subtitles correctly?  It is beyond the visual art on the big screen.  It is about changing of perceptions from within your head.

Here is a brief summary of the story (skip this paragraph if you don’t want to read this mild spoiler).  A gold fish (more like a little girl) fathered by a sorcerer and has a Goddess as her mother escaped her fish tank within the ocean one day for what?  I don’t know.  But she found a 5 years old little boy who falls in love with her.  Thereafter, this gold fish is recaptured by her father but defies the law of the Universe, tries to become a human being, and in the mist of all these magical intervention, Ponyo (the name of the gold fish given by the young boy) brings along with her Tsunami onto the city of the young boy whom she must meet again.

It is almost a flawless outstanding piece of story crafting.  That is to compare with Hayao Miyazaki’s previous work “Spirit Away (2001)” that is quite possibly my favorite of his films that I have watched so far.  From the color and grandeur and style point of view, “Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea” has Miyazaki’s trademarks everywhere – just like “Spirited Away (2001)” and “Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)”, both I enjoyed watching a lot.  From the animation perspective, the character’s movement looks convincingly natural.  From the artwork perspective, I love the clever use of the illusion of light and dark.  Looking at that two hot bowls of instant noodle, Cynthia and I looked at each other, swallowed hard feeling very hungry at that very moment.  That is realism on 2D.

What “Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea” lacks is perhaps a true villain.  I almost say that the ending is kind of weak.  But then again, it is so darn cute and memorable.  It is a strong recommendation to those who have watched 68 years old Hayao Miyazaki’s previous works.  On average, it takes him 3 to 4 years to create a new animation.  I can wait.  I think his next project will be on global warming.

Categories
Foreign Movie Reviews Photography

Love Matters, But Does Jack Neo?

Photo taken right before the show started ... Love Matters

Apparently it does, Jack Neo is still one of the most celebrated film directors in Singapore.

So we are invited for the Gala Premium of “Love Matters”.  It is good that our team from the Association of Bloggers (Singapore) that is still at its infancy stage have the opportunity to meet up in a causal non-work related setting.  As I looked across the theatre, taking mental pictures of our team members, I felt as though we have worked together much longer than just a few months – from media kit to logistics, from membership to sponsorship to partnership and more.  We’ve just put up a FAQ section in our temporary website.  10 of us, working voluntarily, with a day job to do in a challenging economic environment whereby, all of us should focus on what earns us a living instead.

A comedy like “Love Matters” is good, to lighten up the mood.  I remember 2008 started with bloodshed conflicts (remember Pakistan?) one after another.  2009 too started with one (read about Israel lately?) topped with a global financial meltdown that not only affects the investors, but now the aftermath is felt by the common people on the ground.  Like me and perhaps, you.

I don’t assign stars to my reviews.  Take “Love Matters” as an example.  You can’t really compare it side by side with an International film like, say, “Love Actually” (my friend Ed and I were just talking about “Love Actually” at a café while waiting for the Red Carpet event to take place).  To be able to see something closer to our local culture on a big screen, local talent Jack Neo’s films are as close as it gets.  Three love stories intertwined into a single plot, there is this young boy having a crush with his schoolmate who is attached, there is this flamboyant young man who doesn’t know what love is beyond physical intimacy, and there is an old married couple whose well of passion has dried up long time ago.  As Jack Neo wrote in his blog, the following translated paragraph summarized what he envisages the film to be.

Those who are not in love yearn for love; those who are loved don’t know how to love; and those who are in love for too long no longer feel the love.

There are pockets of quality jokes that even for Cynthia who doesn’t know a single word of Chinese, she laughed hard.  Beyond bits and pieces of comedy (my favorite one is the gigolo scene) is a bit of horror (“Hard Candy” anyone?) and a bit of tragedy with tons of tears.  It is relevant to our current environment on what sex in the fifties is like (think Viagra in Chinese potion) and what teen sex is like (sex videos getting uploaded into the Internet sounds familiar?).  Perhaps the topic of sex has earned the disappointing NC-16 rating, at least to Jack Neo.  I would think that the younger crowd may have some to learn from the story.

Yes, I wish “Love Matters” has the cinematography quality of “Dance of the Dragon”.  The backdrops are a bit too ordinary to me.  And yes, I wish the story is tighter and less irregular in terms of scripting quality.  At some parts of the story, Cynthia and I would turn and look to each other and have the “huh?!” look.  Having said that, I am happy to support the local industry and “Love Matters” is Jack Neo’s 13th production that will certainly give you a good laugh and a tiny bit of something to ponder about no matter how old you are.

Photos shared here are those that I have taken during the Red Carpet event.  Yes, I just have to throw in pictures of Cynthia taken at the rooftop of Vivocity because I have always wanted to take some pictures of her there.  This set of photos is also the first time Nikon’s Color Efex Pro 3.0 for Capture NX 2 is being featured in my website, as a good alternative to Adobe Photoshop products.  Stay tuned for further write-ups on what software is for you if you are a Nikon digital photographer.

Categories
Drama Movie Reviews

Rachel Getting Married – Intense Family Drama

Rachel Getting Married

Cynthia raised a good point.  Had the character Kym not played by Anne Hathaway, would we feel annoyed by how self-centered the character is?  It is hard not to love Anne, even in her state of depression with cigarettes after cigarettes in her hand and bruises on her face.  A Global Globe award nominee for best actress and more, I am much impressed by the sheer number of actors and actress on screen giving us the audience a convincing performance of them having known each other for years and in Rachel’s wedding, they meet and have a good time.

A very good time indeed.  Jokes are made, live music is performed, songs are sung, poems are read – it is watched like a real wedding, with friends taking photos and videos, with the wedding couple and the helpers busy attending to the crowd.  Camera angles at times are switched to the lower quality hand held camcorders taken from the wedding guests.  The conversation seems spontaneous; the responses seems genuine; friends finishing each other’s sentences. How did they do that?!  We are not talking about a few actors exchanging lines with one another.  We are talking about a long table full of people.  We are talking a tent full of people.  Such realism, such joy to watch.

In parallel with the happy scenes is the intense family drama between Kym and her sister Rachel (who are getting married) and their divorced parents.  Character development?  Checked.  Genuine emotion?  Checked (Cynthia teared).  I think most of us have our own share of untold family drama behind closed doors.  Hence, we shall be able to relate, one way or another.

“Rachel Getting Married” has the great music, great script, and great acting performance to go for, something to ponder after the film.  TK felt nausea in the initial part of the 2 hours show because the camera moves too much.  He joked that both Cynthia and I are seasoned computer gamers so we didn’t feel a thing.  All I can say is … the Spanish horror movie [●REC] is ten times worse in terms of camera shake.  I personally feel that the mild hand held simulated effect used in “Rachel Getting Married” has it own charm in bring out the theme of it-is-what-it-is.

How in the world do we get to watch Anne Hathaway in “Passengers (2007)”, “Rachel Getting Married (2008)”, and “Bride Wars (2009”) here in Singapore almost at the same time?  The Movie Review Squad is giving “Passengers” a miss.  But we are keen to check out “Bride Wars”.  The pairing of Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway is too good to be missed.

Categories
Book Reviews Non-Fiction

LES50NS – Doing Business Globally – An Inspiring Read from the World’s Top Business Leaders

Lessons Learned - Straight Talk from the World's Top Business Leaders - Doing Business Globally

For most of us, being able to listen to the wisdom of the world’s top business leaders – however concise it is – is a rare opportunity.  While many business books today may quote and extract what some of these successful people have to say and expand the ideas within the scope of the titles, it is less common to read books focused on business leaders revealing their personal lessons learned to the readers.  I did not expect myself to finish this little booklet in one setting but I did.  I simply could not put down “Doing Business Globally” (96 pages) and was drawn to what each of the 14 world leaders has to say.

All 14 lessons derived from Fifty Lesson‘s video library of interviews are full of impact and are memorable.  It is because they are personal and the real life stories drawn from doing business in China, India, Afghanistan, Australia, Malaysia, Africa, and etc. have much to learn from all of us.  Some of the lessons have left a deeper impression to me and to name a few, I enjoy reading the materials provided by:

  • Jimmy Wales – Founder, Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation
  • Michael Dell – Founder, CEO, and Chairman, Dell
  • Bryan Sanderson – Former Chairman, Standard Chartered
  • Neville Isdell – Chairman, Board of Directors, and CEO, The Coca-Cola Company

Each lesson is about 500 to just over 1,000 word count, which in my opinion is the right length in today’s popular digital media world.  The topics covered in “Doing Business Globally” include branding and time to market in a globalized local environment, integrating a global organization with varied cultural background, doing business in countries that value relationship more than contractual obligation, fostering a global online community, and more.

This book is an admirable effort by the Fifty Lessons team.  Check out their website address at the end of this post.  “Doing Business Globally” is one of their 11-book series.  And it is one book that deserves to be read multiple times.  These are valuable lessons learned by world’s successful business leaders.  It is worth the effort to internalize them and put them to work in your curent or your future roles.

External Website: Fifty Lessons

Categories
J Pop Music Reviews

Mika Nakashima – I Don’t Know, I Don’t Know, I *Know* “Voice” is My Favorite of Hers So Far

Voice by Mika Nakashima

Having followed Mika’s music career since her debut album “True” – and I just realize that I have all 6 of her albums! – “Voice” has got to be the most appealing, most infectious of all.  To be honest, I was surprised because although from time to time there are great music albums in the market that delight, rarely are there albums that I would put on repeat for a relatively long period of time (yes, if there is no time factor, I often hold back my opinion until the initial excitement subsides).

I wonder what Mika Nakashima fans like about her.  Maybe her look or her voice (both I am OK with, not too excited about).  Her music style is mostly pop, recently into rock with “The End”.  What I in particularly like about Mika is her ability to sing some uniquely out of the world kind of music scale, kind of timing, that is so unheard of.  The beginning of the 8th track “It’s Too Late” is a good example.  Is this style called club jazz?  Maybe.  It doesn’t appear often.  But when it does, it tickles in a good way.

To tell the truth, I can hardly remember what her first 3 albums sound like.  Except, they are pleasant to listen to, with unique style.  Her venture into rock genre collaborated with other Japanese musicians in her 4th album “The End”, to me, is refreshingly new.  Although I like it a lot, the chart didn’t agree with me.  Came the 5th one “Yes” that is back to her old style.  I am OK with that, and the chart wasn’t that happy with it neither.  Her only two albums that did not manage to reach #1.

“Voice” is back to #1 and I can understand why.  It has a health dose of pop and synthetic rock.  There is one track mostly with just her and the piano (final track) and another one with the acoustic guitar (middle track).  It also has a health dose of rock music that unlike “The End”, the music does not overpower her voice.  In nearly all the tracks, there are tunes that are mind sticking, making the album sounds interesting.  True to her nature as shown in her previous albums, “Voice” is fun to listen to.  My favorite track?  The all English number “I Don’t Know” (hence the title of this review).

My CD comes with a DVD too and it has 6 music videos.  More like 5 and a half as the last song is like a short promotional track.  It has a mellow version of “SAKURA ～花霞～” instead of the Daishi Dance version in the album.  If you are a Mika fan, you really ought to get this one.