FILIAL PIETY. Don’t be Cruel.

These words “DON’T BE CRUEL” are glaring at you now, peeps.

I am appalled by a recent spate of news pertaining an elderly CHINESE couple who are currently surviving at wit’s end.
Their two ungrateful sons, both in their 30′s threw them away, like dirty linen, for whatever reasons.
Guess they don’t need their parents anymore.
An extremely cruel thing, shirking duties specially when sick parents are in the throes of their twilight years.
Heaven forbid.

What price FILIAL PIETY?
We should at all times, respect, obey and care for our aging parents.
Without our mums and dads, where would all of us be today? Blood is thicker than water.

When we were young and growing, we did rely on our parents for guidance, money, emotional support, etcetera.
THIS ROLE SHOULD BE REVERSED once we have attained adult status and when our parents are getting on in years.

No one stays young and beautiful forever, man.
Do bad things, you will get your just deserts when it’s your turn to be old.
No one can escape old age.

And there’s such a thing called “karma”. 

Don’t you know?

“DARK SKIES” Movie Review. An Otherwise Peace Loving Family Provoked by nasty Aliens.

“DARK SKIES” PRESS PREVIEW

Another scream-out-loud production from those “Paranormal Activity” people?

You’d have thought they had long run out of steam, but hold it, I was pleasantly surprised.

“DARK SKIES” is an American sci-fic horror feature packed with enough fertile imagination and consummate techniques.

It’s been brought here to titillate your craving for demonic films.

The spine-chilling plot focuses on the throes of a married couple who unearths nasty hauntings within  the sanctuary of their home.

And in doing so, they frantically endeavor every means to protect their young sons from the alien invasion.

As husband and wife Daniel and Lacey Barret hopelessly witness an on-going series of inexplicable events involving their family, their safe and peaceful home becomes a shackle.

It is soon obvious that they are being targeted by an unimaginably terrifying and deadly force.

Daniel and Lacey decide to take matters in their own hands to solve the mystery and fight back, tooth and nail.

“DARK SKIES” is written and directed  by Scott Stewart.

 Keri Russell and Josh Hamilton, Dakota Goyo and Kadan Rockett star.

This move may not be your regular tour de force, but some scenes will challenge your adrenaline rush and are mind blowing.

The action is slick, fast paced and gritty, leading to one tense build-up.

Go watch it if you dig suspenseful psychological thrillers.

PAIN. RIGHT THROUGH YOUR HEART.

HAVE YOU FELT A STAB OF REAL PAIN RECENTLY?
DID YOU BLEED?

Life can never be complete without its share of bruises and pains, as this old buddy pointed out to me last night.

He lamented that he’s always been a much misunderstood person.

A loner by choice, he’s growing progressively lonely unwillingly, without any amount of good friends in sight.

His business world has literally collapsed, his venture bombed, as he was let down by his ex partners who had taken flight, leaving him for greener pastures.
Reality jolts.

It is sad that in this business world you’ve to take care of your welfare first.

Loneliness is a bitter pill that can stab you through your heart.

Even your shadow leaves you when you are shrouded in darkness.

Every man adorns a “protection” mask, a facade to conceal his true self, as he goes about doing his daily tasks.

LIFE IS REAL, NOT REEL.

And that goes all the way, chum.

The RHYTHM and HARMONY of INNER PEACE.

The RHYTHM and HARMONY of INNER PEACE.

As a WRITER, I am constantly struggling to justify that one divine word:
PEACE.

Not an issue of religion or creed, it is the PEACE that dwells within our inner mind and soul.

Without PEACE, can there ever be lasting happiness?

There’s a BUDDHIST saying that rings loud and clear:

“BETTER than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings PEACE.”

Are you at peace with yourself today, dear friends?

“LINCOLN” Movie Review. Dizzy Insights into an Iconic American President.

“LINCOLN ” PRESS PREVIEW

What our history teacher taught us and what our researches showed:

ABRAHAM LINCOLN was the 16th President of the United States serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865.

 He was the first president to die of assassination.

He was shot in the back of his head by John Wilkes Booth, an actor and Confederate spy from Maryland.

Lincoln’s assassination took place at Ford’s Theater in Washington, where he had been watching “Our American Cousin” on April 14, 1865, which was Good Friday.

He was shot once, at point blank range, at approximately 10:15 PM.

Once he was shot, he was carried from the theater to a boarding house across the street from the theater.

He remained in a comatose state for over 8 hours. Many doctors offered to help, and some examined the President, but there was ultimately nothing to be done, as the bullet was lodged deep in the President’s brain. He died at approximately 7:22 AM the following morning, April 15, 1865.

He was revered as one of the most compelling  icons in the history of the American political figureheads.

In the film, you’d never get to see the actual assassination scene.

It can never be shown as it had never been filmed.

What’s real and what’s reel is anybody’s guess.

 ”LINCOLN” the movie belongs to STEVEN SPIELBERG and he ensures that his treatment is discreetly controlled and competently executed.

During the period of his illustrious career as America’s most beloved President, LINCOLN had brought the US to greater heights.

Right smack in the midst of the American Civil War, he relentlessly confronted the issues of the constitutional and the military.

He abolished slavery and paved the way for economic and financial modernizations.

The movie only recalls a specific time in his leadership and a momentous time in history.

LINCOLN eventually succeeded in abolishing slavery through democratic means – the passing of The 13th Amendment of the United States.

Naturally, a strong man is often surrounded by his toady enemies.

This movie showcases the plight of a great politician who had refused to be pinned down by apparent obstacles during his rule.

He was human too, and like everybody else, life could be lonely at the top, specially at times when his actions were misunderstood by family and friends, yet he had the resilience and fortitude to plod on.

 DANIEL DAY-LEWIS shines in the role of ABRAHAM LINCOLN.

He fits snugly into his role adopting a soft-spoken persona bordering on wit to bring alive a battle-hardened crusader fighting his war against slavery.

The film has 10 nominations at Britain’s equivalent of the Oscars, including best picture and best actor for DANIEL DAY-LEWIS – though no directing nomination for SPIELBERG. There are 12 Academy Award nominations to reckon with, as well.

 ”LINCOLN” as a biopic is steep in American history and SPIELBERG assumes that the global audience will lap up the subject.

Nobody can doubt that it has the trappings of an epic with an admirable script and excellent performances by the ensemble cast. It is clearly a movie that will harness more attention in the West with its heavy dramatization and virtually no action.

Stretching 2 hours and 29 minutes long in preaching the political “gospel” – moving from two principal locations: battle field to court house may prove a trifle sedative for the audience.

One of the press members fell into a brief slumber for want of mental fatigue.

Honestly.

“CLOUD ATLAS” Movie Review. LONG-WINDED AND CONFUSINGLY CONNECTED AT TIMES.

“CLOUD ATLAS” PRESS PREVIEW

There’s a lot to go for in this sci-fic film, given the formidable presence of TOM HANKS, HALLE BERRY, JIM BROADBENT, SUSAN SARANDON, HUGH GRANT and some others.

The advertising headline may have glamorized that “EVERYTHING IS CONNECTED”, but here’s a grim reminder: be warned that not everything is in place, much less, connected.

Granted, this feature ensures you a float of a 5 century-old realm of surrealism.

You have got three renowned directors (TOM TYKWER, ANDY and LANA WACHOWSKI) for the price of one movie ticket, six plots that run for 3 hours, enabling a seemingly long-winded epic.

THE STORY

Starting from the 19th Century, a lawyer (Sturgess) falls gravely ill on a slave ship crossing the Pacific Ocean.

In the 1930s, a young composer (Whishaw) reluctantly works with an ageing musician (Broadbent).

In 1973, an American journalist (Berry) stumbles across a deadly secret involving a nuclear power plant.

In 2012, a British publisher (Broadbent) is held in a nursing home against his will.

In the near future, a genetically-engineered clone (Bae) is interviewed before her execution.

And in the distant future, a primitive tribesman (Hanks) befriends a woman (Berry) from an advanced culture.

“CLOUD ATLAS” unravels that decisions made in this life can affect our next life as this film  propels us through the time vacuum of the past, present and future to prove the case.

Action, mystery and romance are weaved dramatically into the story as one soul is shaped from a killer, then into a hero and one single act of kindness can ripple across the decades to inspire a revolution in the distant future.

Every actor is handed the task to perform diverse roles as the stories move through time.

Not easy, but the principal players from the ensemble cast pitch in admirable performances, whilst the cinematography in turn, captures detail and depth.

“CLOUD ATLAS” may cram in a lot, but it is a twisty thriller that will ensure you with a wild ride.

Asian audiences are getting a little ambivalent.

This feature film has a stamp of artistic indulgence in incongruous juxtapositions, taking us into a fascinating world of dreams where the rules of reality do not apply.

It is long-winded and confusingly connected at times, but assuredly there are extraordinary moments of poignancy that will jolt your senses.

Watch it with an open mind and see where your dream might lead you to.

Right.

“VALENTINE’S DAY”. Reaching for the Sky.

YOU ARE MY VALENTINE, ARE YOU NOT?

TODAY is VALENTINE’s DAY.
So it is all about LOVE, LOVE, LOVE.
Let’s go a bit further with this love-struck saying:

“You must love yourself before you love another.
By accepting yourself and fully being what you are,
your simple presence can make others happy.”

Oh, YEAH !

Now, please spare a moment here and listen to this very soulful and beautiful song "YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE" sung by ELIZABETH MITCHELL.

This song touches my heart, from the first musical strain right to the last tempo.

YEAR OF THE SNAKE 2013. Bountiful Blessings, Everyone!

Hi, hello, we are the CHARMING SNAKES.

We are here to herald in a beautiful, bountiful SNAKE YEAR 2013.

Happy, happy.

Our favorite model ANDREW NGO hails from VIETNAM and is decked in auspicious RED for this special occasion.

ANDREW is a jolly nice guy from a beautiful country. He has an endearing personality and is worthy of our respect.

ANDREW NGO is beaming with radiance.

It gonna be a Great Year ahead, he assures us.

A TOUCH OF ZEN

DOUBLE HAPPINESS, BOUNTIFUL BLESSINGS

SNAKE YEAR officially starts this SUNDAY 10th February, 2013.

It is a relief.

After a dismal past 12 months observing a gloomy global landscape of economic doldrums and awful weather disasters sail by, I am pretty much looking forward to a change of tides.

I am going to work hard, smile more, play safe, stay healthy and observe survival rules.

I’d like to pledge this BUDDHIST saying:

“When walking, as we step one foot forward,

We lift the other foot up.

In the same way, we should let go of YESTERDAY …

and focus on TODAY.”

HAPPY SNAKE YEAR 2013, fellas.

Right.

“JOURNEY TO THE WEST: CONQUERING THE DEMONS” (西游.降魔篇) Movie Review. Charming, Entertaining and Beautifully Crafted.

“JOURNEY TO THE WEST: CONQUERING THE DEMONS (西游·降魔篇)”

PRESS PREVIEW.

Madcap film director STEPHEN CHOW roars back into action as he writes, produces and co-helms his latest brilliant masterpiece “JOURNEY TO THE WEST”.

The timing is set as a CHINESE NEW YEAR 2013 grand release in major ASIAN CITIES, with an ensemble cast that includes Shu Qi, Bo Huang, Zhang Wen, Show Luo and Chrissie Chow.

This production is a celebration of art, combining a stirring potpourri of martial arts, CGI monsters, quirky romance and slapstick.

 STEPHEN CHOW’s “Journey to the West” is both imaginative and affecting.

It is actually a prequel of a classic fictionalized folk lore bearing the same name, focusing on the misadventures of a Buddhist monk as he embarks on a perilous pilgrimage from China to India.

The monk travelled to the “Western Regions” during the Tang Dynasty to obtain sacred texts (sutras).

The bodhisattva Avalokitesvara (Guanyin), on instruction from the Buddha, bestows this task to the monk and his assembly of three protectors in the form of disciples – namely Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing – together with a dragon prince who acts as Xuanzang’s steed, a white horse.

These four characters have agreed to help Xuanzang as atonement for their past sins.

STEPHEN CHOW is well known for his “mo lei tau” (nonsensical) brand of comedic sensibilities. You either like this or you don’t.

 In this film, he also displays an uncanny ability to juggle between comedy and tragedy. This is his directorial treatment on a well-worn tale as die-hard followers can attest to it.

Sparing the overkill of shoot, plot, locations and other technicalities, it’s kudos to the Director of Photography CHOI SUNG-PAI, Production Designer BRUCE YU and the merry team of competent actors who all rendered a splendid job.

“JOURNEY TO THE WEST” is one film you’d love to hate.

Or hate to love, paradoxically. One man’s meat is another’s poison.

If you go with an accepting mind to be entertained, then this is it.

Should you attend with a neuro-surgical mind with intent to dissect, then there are plenty of plot holes to crow about.

Whichever school of thought you are preaching from, always tread with logic.

Making a film is tedious whilst sitting in the theater harboring a literary cutting mind is another.

I enjoyed this film though I am hardly a fan of STEPHEN CHOW and his “mo lei tau” nonsense.

“JOURNEY” is charming, entertaining and beautifully crafted.

And commercially this film is destined to hit bull-eye in terms of box office takings, which would be the ultimate goal of any distributor.

Drumroll for dollars and cents, so make no bones about this.

Amen.