BE MERRY, BE COOL IN THE LUNAR YEAR OF THE TIGER.

HEY!

MY WONDERFUL CHINESE FRIENDS,

The Lunar New Year is fast approaching, signaling the advent of SPRING …..

And I am taking this opportunity to wish each and every one ….. abundant joy and prosperity in the YEAR OF THE TIGER!

Fret not the pains and angst of the past year,

They are really over,

Bad vibes? Disillusionments?

Just leave these behind.

Let’s usher in the Lunar New Year

with love, hope, and cheer,

Let every bad memory

that brought us heartaches and pains be erased,

And let’s turn into a new leaf

amid the smell of fresh rain

Let’s forget past mistakes

and make amends for the coming year -

I am sending you these greetings

with compassion and strength.

Because if a person cannot find happiness within himself,

He will not find it anywhere else.

PEACE to all mankind,

Let’s “growl” on in the Year of the Tiger,

Come what may …. let’s unite

and forge ahead with renewed vigour.

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!

Gearing up for the Tiger Year?

Now, let’s soak in the festive spirit by listening to this happy, feel-good Lunar New Year song sung by some of the most popular artistes from Media Corp Singapore.

TWO-LEGGED HORSE Movie Review. WHAT PRICE HUMANITY?

FILM REVIEW

HE’S ONLY AN IMPOVERISHED BOY, BORN IN A WRONG PLACE AT A WRONG TIME.

The setting is in AFGHANISTAN, in a desolate region that’s both remote and poor.

Here, underprivileged children live in acute poverty, in a maze of abandoned sewer pipes that provide meagre shelter.

Here, MIRVAIS, one of the inhabitants of the pipes, is desperate to earn his keeps for his family, so he readily accepts a challenge in a humiliating contest for a job.

In order to qualify, the poor boy has to compete against other desperate children.

And any of the participants, who can carry on a rich lame boy who had lost his legs in war and takes him to school will become the winner–and the rich boy’s personal “horse”.

No, the story doesn’t just end here.

Instead, we are taken on a 100-minute journey to witness the demeaning exploitations of humanity.

What right does a human have to treat another like a lowly animal?

How low can anyone go?

This is a scary, yet heart-wrenching tale of how a one-legged boy transforms an older boy into a beast of burden.

Sadistic pleasure?

We are shown, in graphic details, the crippled boy’s brutal treatment of his “human horse” and the latter’s total submission and his slow metamorphosis into the four-legged animal …..

Wouldn’t you be outraged?

Anybody in his proper frame of mind would be.

Didn’t we all hear that:

Humanity is the supreme of all religions of the world.

….. that the most important thing in life is much more than winning for ourselves.

The most important thing in this life is to help others to win.

A generous heart, a life of service and compassion to the mankind …..

are the things which renew humanity ….

and that’s the best religion , nothing else.

When you have money, you are in a position of control,

You bark orders

and you reign supreme,

You act like the lord of this world …

But when you don’t

You come abegging,

You are relegated as a powerless animal to this world.

In third world countries, there are many who are living lives of exploitation,

with humanity stripped beyond the bone of basic human rights.

Well, in a disturbing way, TWO-LEGGED HORSE the movie will surely weave its way into our hearts and make us realize that we are indeed, taking life for granted,

that we are lucky ….

if only we all want to acknowledge this.

This award winning IRANIAN film, brilliantly directed by SAMIRA MAKHMALBAF takes a stab at human brutality at its worse and the director’s treatment of the physical pain is at most times, unbearable to watch.

Yet one must remember the power of the story that seeks to reflect our life and times.

Glory be.

REUNION DINNER tastes even BETTER this TIGER YEAR, thanks to veteran actress CHEN LIPING.

CHEN LIPING.

How do we describe her?

In three little words …..

She is cute, fun, very versatile.

And definitely, one of SINGAPORE’s best loved actresses.

When it comes to au naturel acting, not that many come close, at least, not in Singapore.

Her diction, her gesticulations, her vivid portrayal of the undaunting mother never fails to strike a chord in our hearts, always.

She is simple, her versatility puts us at ease and we laugh and cry with her her as she goes on in her gamut of roles.

Take this poignant scene from last year’s drama series REUNION DINNER.

It’s the eve of the Chinese New Year where the entire family sits down for the once-a-year round the table gathering.

Here she is, serving the festive foods.

Her wimp-of-a-husband has been offered a high paying position by an ex-Caucasian client.

Her dementia stricken father-in-law has just unwittingly complimented her as being the “best daughter-in-law” around.

Suddenly intense happiness assails her and as the camera follows her brisk saunter to the kitchen to get more soup,

her eyes are welling up with genuine tears …

Camera closes in on:

her face as she brushes aside tears of pride and joy that speak volumes of the long hard years that had not been in vain ….

How can we forget this heart-warming scene as it keeps on playing over and over again in my mind, reminding me of my own mother?

I wish my own mother is still living so that I can give her a hug,

IT’S SO REAL.

REUNION DINNER was aired in SINGAPORE before the LUNAR NEW YEAR of 2009 (exactly one year ago), but it tastes even better this time round.

With a grande dame like Ms CHEN LIPING around, who really cares for attention grabbing eye-candies?

MISS CHEN, THANK YOU FOR THE MEMORY!

2010.

It’s the LUNAR YEAR of The TIGER.

A time for reflection upon the past before embarking on a brand new Chinese year.

Isn’t it right that, if time could really stand still,

we’d have freeze it here …..

we’d have handled things a lot more differently?

Regrets we all have many.

Who don’t?

We are all creatures of imperfections.

Let’s begin this Lunar New Year by saluting all mothers.

MOTHER.

This word conjures an image of a stoic woman,

A woman who believes in selfless love for her children.

A mother who expects nothing in return,

Perhaps, except, maybe, for some love and care on our part.

Too shy to say “I love you” to your mum?

Don’t be.

Give her a warm hug

and that alone would speak wonders.

Treasure her when she still around,

lest when she’s long gone one day

and you’ll live with regrets that you haven’t done so.

How do you describe

A MOTHER’S LOVE?

“To some love is just a word

To me it’s a feeling

A feeling

I get everytime I look into your eyes

A feeling I get when I realize you’re my mum,

A mum who loves, shares,

A mom who inspires

Unconditionally …..

What’s that?

That’s love

A mother’s love,

but only you would know

And me

You returned that love

time and time again

Possibly too much,

nevertheless you did

Thank You

Thank You for being there when I needed you most

For being my rock when I should have been yours,

Thank you for believing in me,

even when I doubted myself

For being the one person I could trust

No matter what,

No matter where

But most of all, “Thank You” for being you ….

my mum,

A mum I am so proud to claim

I LOVE YOU,

Now and always.”

HAPPY YEAR OF THE TIGER, FOLKS!

BLACK RANSOM Movie Review. KIDNAP, VENGEANCE, BLOODY MAYHEM

PRESS PREVIEW

Now, let’s say that BLACK RANSOM is one hell of a Hong Kong police flick.

It’s all about the GOOD (cops), the BAD (kidnappers) and the UGLY (triad gangs).

When we diligently mix these three elements, we get a story on bloody mayhem.

BLACK RANSOM is one stylish film directed by KEUNG KWOK-MAN with a lot of heart, some soul and plenty of shoot-outs.

It focuses on kidnap and ransom, though strangely, the victim is not the heir to some billionaire, but an important triad member.

We’ve a good cop played by SIMON YAM.

Now throw in a bad cop (MICHAEL MIU) who’s helming a small bunch of hard-boiled ex-cops who kidnap not just for money, but to act as self-imposed vigilantes to eliminate the baddies – those who manage to escape judicial justice.

Charismatic actor SIMON YAM leads a great cast in the role of a middle-aged cop and doting father, whose life takes on a sense of forlorn loneliness, after his wife was killed in a car accident and that he has now to fend for his teenage daughter.

‘Tis the season of Hong Kong TV land thespians crossing over to the big screen.

Ex-TVB actor SIMON YAM pitches acting skills with current TVB artistes MICHALE MIU and FALA CHAN, proving that there’s life after the TVB banner.

After all, A-listers CHOW YUN FAT and TONY LEUNG rose to fame from acting in TVB dramas, in the long years before.

In BLACK RANSOM, we find a sombre theme about the violent life that brings the cops and robbers together and the end result that takes a toll on both.

The tension is excruciating when the heat comes down on the hoods.

The cat-and-mouse challenges between the cops, robbers and triad gangs are fast-paced and clever.

It’s one of the few absorbing Hong Kong police flicks to come out in the flurry of police thrillers in recent years.

For pure entertainment value and to let your hair down, go watch BLACK RANSOM.

Some scenes may be brutal but you will get this sense of reality that will not seem contrived.

And oh yeah, all the actresses in the film are gorgeously stunning.

This Film Review is Specially Written for

www.bookmarqc.com

LEGION Movie Review. WHEN GOD WANTS TO END THIS WORLD.

PRESS PREVIEW

STAY BRACED to your seat in the theater.

We all know whenever DOOMSDAY comes a-calling.

How can we ever forget?

Not with this season of prophetic cinematic offerings:

ends-of-the-world, famines, tsunamis, snowstorms, killer earthquakes, natural disasters and other unspeakable destructions.

Grim questions are always screaming in our minds reminding us:

“Why won’t we be more mindful of the earth’s crust and stop brutalizing it?”

“Why didn’t we love one another more and respect cultural differences?”

"Why are we so selfish when we ignore the plight of the innocents who are being crushed, exploited, humiliated and degraded?"

to religious wars that led to mindless terrorism.

Too late!

BEWARE THE WRATH OF GOD.

GOD has taken in so much and is now sending his legion of ANGELS to destroy the earth, wipe away MANKIND, in short: to evoke the APOCALYPSE.

This is the main setting of the story, beginning with a small motley of strangers stuck in the middle of nowhere, in a diner, in an out-of-the-way countryside.

And this becomes the unlikely battleground for the survival of the human race where the ANGELS OF DEATH via destruction come a-visiting.

There’s a woman who is expecting this child, a baby whom we are led to believe isCHRIST in his second coming, who is the only glimmer of hope of stopping the massive slaugher.

There is also the archangel apparent who stands between MANKIND and theAPOCALYPSE.

Now, folks, don’t be too biblical if you want to enjoy this movie.

It focuses on the fallen angels versus mankind when GOD is disdainful of cruel people and their evil deeds.

LEGION the movie is a part supernatural and part horror flick and not a religious picture per se, so don’t reach for your bible.

It’s a mix of the EXORCIST and the TERMINATOR, if you must.

Will GOD finally cleanse this world of evil?

You will be jolted out of your seat when you watch this little frail old sweet lady transforming into a bloody violent demon.

You will be treated to graphic scenes of violence, guns, sexual references and language, plus grotesque images and transformations.

But you will enjoy the fast stomping action from tip to toe, heart in your mouth.

When the last angel falls,

the fight for mankind begins.

Directed by SCOTT STEWART, it’s a GEM of a movie.

GO WATCH IT NOW.

This Movie Review is specially written for

www.bookmarqc.com