The Hunger Games

It was a post-call day.

With the irresistable screenplay of The Hunger Games, plus an obvious overestimation over my energy span, there I called up sister and dad for the premiere at 10pm. a pretty reckless move!

Story is taken from the original novel by Suzanne Collins, centering on an annual national event, where boys and girls are randomly picked up from each districts as tributes, and put into a survival game where there allows only one life remains. Katniss, the 16-year old girl from District 12 volunteered for replacing her sister, enters the game and the show goes on...



Hold on a second, does it kick off something back in memory?

Yes at first glimpse I almost instantly correlates it with the unrated flesh-and-blood Japanese production Battle Royale in 2000, which was interestingly also based on an original novel on a group of high school teens force-engaged in a governmental killing programme. Having finished the book I need to say its highly tensed dramatic throughout, and it's also thrillingly dark from the beginning till the end.

So, when I was expecting a de javu experience in theatre, there I was wrong and surprised.

**SPOILER WARNING***

The Hunger Games took an exceedingly long paragraph layering the story background and layout. In fact almost half of the time was spent outside the battling arena, preparing Katniss's character and building up the dynamics within. This move may well disappoint those who enter the house anticipating fleshy actions and kills, but I reckon this as the key that distinguishes itself from its alike productions.



Truly speaking I enjoyed the first half more than the battling part, there they put in so much contrast between the distant districts and the capitol - from the color tone and languages to costumes and makeups - you can easily see the underdog situation and get attached to the character, as the young girl goes step by step towards the end, it gave you a very solidly mixed product of fear, love, perseverance and bravery. Katniss's character is also highly lovable. She was never good at expressing and talking, appeared to be well-controlled at all times, but at certain scenes when the suppressed fear and sorrow leaked, it then became so stunningly real and powerful.

On the other hand, the story loosened up a bit when it enters the arena. The plains and woods setting is great, but when dealing with life-and-death, it lacks a tiny bit of tension within. Especially on the scene where Katniss was on tree trapped by the alliance from the trained tributes, I don't see the point for them to stop shooting and go to sleep; and if I were one of them, with no second thought I would clear everyone else in their dreams - why giving up such a nice chance when I am so good at combating?

Anyhow overall The Hunger Game is decently produced and worths a premiere ticket, despite the postcall state, it kept me highly awake and engaged - though I ended up in a pretty bad nightmare hiding myself in woods with bleeding wounds.

Phew! Better not to pick the midnight session!

It's Kind of A Funny Story - And it's more than that

Oh, what an echo!

Well I must admit that I wasn't expecting too much from it initially, especially after seeing Zach Galifianakis on poster. It's just hard not to recall his iconic play in the Hangover series - the idiotic monkey-holding image.

But I was wrong again.

It's Kind of A Funny Story is a non-commercial non-Hollywood piece of production. It was made to give out surprises.

This is a coming-of-age comedy drama centering on a 16-year old boy, Craig, who turned breathless facing bits of stresses of live, thinking about killing himself, and voluntarily ended up with a short stay in a psychiatry ward seeking for treatments. As the story goes on, he started to figure out what is the thing called life...




Well it may sound ordinary, and I do realise that most of the critics aren't scoring high for the movie, but seriously, I have a crush on it.

Umm indeed I am biased towards the unique filming styles – Fight Club, Wanted, and the kind-of alike bittersweet-teenage-troubles-production Submarine all went similarly. I love the way it portraits and illustrates with all those first-person narrations, freezing shots, and interesting funky imaginary scenes – which all fitted very well in the storytelling. And yes, the narrated snapshots at the end were so lovely and gosh I liked them so much!



The leading actor Keir Gilchrist came to me as an entirely unfamiliar face, yet his raw play ran so naturally that makes the film easy and comfortable to enjoy along. Without much decoration he depicted a lost teen right to the point, it’s not those who went overly-depressed with tears, but you could only barely sense the struggle within. At times, he reminded me of those good old days in highschool, when everyone else were kind of egocentric and emotion-driven; and went confused for reasons unknown.

I can't agree more on Craig's point on being depressed - somehow we are down due not to a single distinct depressing event, but an aggregate of things that don't seem going on the way they should.

Another lovable part is the psy-ward setting. In such a confined place filled with all sort of simple harmless (though weird) minds, one is no longer overwhelmed by expectations and judgments, and can breathe and live as it was meant to be. When we kept labelling others as psychics, shouldn't we stop for a while and ask ourselves - are we busy dying?

Alright, let’s bring along with the old song back in 1981 by Queen. You’ll know why as you watch along. Oh and: It's Kind of A Funny story is not just a funny story to go.


Queen - Under Pressure (1981)

P.S. I do see the shadow of mine from Craig - at least - when I am getting nervous, I puke as well. =]

Never Let Me Go - the journey for hope

Oh my God.
This one is a big surprise.

As far as I remember, it has never been publicized too much locally (despite having starred Keira Knightley and Andrew Garfield!). As recommended by a nice MO during an overnight call, I traced my to-watch list - and I did put it down few months back!

Without hesitation I picked it up as my weekend choice - and BAM - it blew my away instantly.


The story is and straight, it goes with 3 ordinary childhood friends Kathy, Ruth and Tommy - no different from regular kids - except that they are duplicants. Their lives serve the sole role for preparing organs donation for their originals, and ended at the day their bodies weaken and crash.

When love, emotions, hope and feelings remain; sentimentally the story depicted how the three buddies grew, struggled and proceeded with their hope-deprived and purposed lives...



---- [SPOILER warning: don't read further if you are going to watch!] ----



The group of younger actor and actresses were simply amazing. This is particularly true for the character of Kathy, whom I percieved as the most difficult one to be handled. In the film they tried to synthesize for her a seemingly-passive outlook, covered underneath an overwhelmingly strong personality. Izzy Meikle played it in such sophisticated manner, that in the scene where she was listening to the cassette Tommy gave her, without uttering a word, I could almost feel the long-suppressed love leaking out.

The switch from the young to the grown-up is as well super natural. This degree of continuity is rarely seen on screen. Most of the time films tended to make the younger part brief and simple, ,narrated the growth through snapshots, and proceeded the story in their grown-up.

Never let me go went a different way; it placed extra time for young characters to develop and mature, making the three images and their bonding sharp and clear before they enters teenage. This move is risky, but with good castings, it stunned me well.



I love the casts, the music, the cinematography...and the most lovable area is perhaps the set of atmosphere.

What the movie truly catches me is how it depicts the complex emotions of the duplicated donors. When life was created for bringing hope to another you but not for oneself, when you fell in a love that owns no future, when you feel your soul is being torn apart bit by bit - this is when you start using the cold, emotionless word "completion" instead of "death", to conclude the end of it.

It as well moved me a lot when hearing Tommy firmly reassures:
"We are in love, it's true love, it's verifiable."

When our basic instincts and desires started needing verification, where else do we find the drive for moving on?



Seeing Tommy and Kathy sat on sofa holding hands, with drawings all over the table, hoping for a deferment which never existed - and there they heard the most unsettling reality:

"We didn't have to look into your souls, we had to see if you had souls at all."



Oh it's sooooo gut-wrenching. =[

The Help - Story of Justice

I was first recommended this film by a good friend and teacher of mine in Oncology. Sadly missed several chances in theatre, I was now finally able to capture it again when the DVD is out. And indeed, what a powerful piece of drama!

Don't be misled by the trailer, The help isn't about how a white saved the colored. It's story of bravery and courage - on how the discrimated spoke for themselve.

The Help, with almost all-female casts, is deeply sensational on the issue of social injustice in the 1960s US, where the colored worked as maids - and treated as slaves. I was so moved by the sincere play of Aibileen and Minny, who both served in white families, in the era when racial inequality is the norm, and when the blacks were being looked down in all the possible ways people could think of.



In fact, the aching part is perhaps not when seeing the colored being discrimiated, but on how some of them did not even realise the problem. Indeed, when one was born injustice - they continue and live injustice; without recognising the wrong part, let's not talk about voicing out and fighting for ones' own human rights. Sad and pathetic.

It's right that the theme is burdened and heavy, but I truly appreciate how the movie tried to depict the hardship in a pretty casual yet impactful way. Throughout the lines we shed tears on their broken hearts and souls; while at the same time, we smiled and laughed on how Aibileen, Minny and the others maids adapted and lived (and in particular, how Minny revenge with the pie, haha). What the film comes to me is a natural tale-telling story, which successfully engaged an Asian outsider like me to experience and share their lives - both the bright and dark side included.

Well, the story was realistic that it did not conclude with an entirely happy ending (afterall the book of course did not strive much an impact), yet how glad I am seeing one's soul being freed, and deeply touched on the courage within.



After The Help, re-reading Mr Martin Lutherking's speech, for the first time, I felt the heat and passion in it:

"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.

"I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together."

Gut feeling

Its our anniversary again, time for picking up something for my love one.

In the past I tended not to go for the styles and fashion thing - you know girls, sometimes, went really unpredictable and intuitive on their tastes of fashion. I've tried few times when shopping with Landico, to make some boy-guessing on her pick on clothes, bags, boots, accessories; unfortunately the hits rate went low - really low.

This year I decided to make it a challenge.

Going into boutiques I turned pretty freaked out. How am I suppose to pick the best among all the dazzling girly stuff? Wandering within the strips, checkerbox, spots and plain patterns, my head started to swell. My mind rewinded back to every snapshot of her, back in my memory I saw all kinds of fashion style and seems there is no perfect formula for the pick.

Damn, I told myself.

At this very moment of confusion and frustration, the worse came, three salesladies started to spin around me, offering various advice and suggestions.

"What is your girl's skin tone?"
"Is she tall or small?"
"What's her favourite color?"
"This bag looks good and young, its our top sales!"
"How old is she, for girlfriend or for your wife (what?!)"

Alright I gave up, when I was about to step out the shop with white flags flying above me - the branch manager (I suppose) approached.

The middle-aged lady smiled at me, and said to me gently: "Having a headache picking for girl?"

I nodded.

She followed: "Just now, which is the first product you picked up on your hand?"

I peeped on the scarf aside.

"Trust your gut feeling, that is the one."




==========================


Finally, I walked out with the scarf on hand.
Love, sometimes, is intuitive.

Happy anniversary, sweetheart.

Real steel x Transformer 3

Reel steel is indeed a wonderful masterpiece, much much outplayed the so called robot-classic Transformer series.

The chemistry between Hugh Jackman and Dakota Goyo is simply phenomenal. Though that the perfect musculine outlook of Jackman still possess a faint shadow of wolferine, he did play the pure yet complex father-and-son bonding so well, that for every robot battle they played - there is so much warmth in it, apart from the metallic crushes. Still, I believe that its Goyo's sincere, pure, cute, energetic play which seasoned the movie, pushing every fight to the very climax that made me palpitated so badly in the theatre!

The first time I saw Goyo on screen is perhaps the short snapshot in Thor, where he took the small role of the younger God - nothing special nothing stunning. But I guess every audience of Reel Steel would agree, Goyo 's play perhaps served the key of success throughout the entire film. Indeed, as some of us did in the theatre, I almost cheered out seeing him do the marching-robotdance right before the fight with the dazziling-red robot TwinCities. And for every punch Atom the underdog laid on Zeus the juggernaut, I just can't help shouting: BRAVO!



If we were to compare, I reckon the long-awaited Transformer 3 much inferior, at least in terms of its storyline.

For no doubt the CG and visual effects in Transformers went in so much details, the entire story was marching on a paper-thin plot. I don't see the tension between characters - not only the bond between Sam and Bee - but the romance between Sam and Carly also appeared weak and awkward (and where is my sexy Megan Fox!!). For all these I felt like watching piles of metals and flesh in fast-forward motion over an entire 150min, with serious lack of character among.

As far as the fights are concerned, they also appeared not as entertaining as that in Reel Steel. With the chaotic scene-setting and constantly-moving shooting angles, often was I distracted from the hit and kicks. That's a pity.

Anyhow, being back home, I can't help replaying each and every fight scenes of Atom's- trust me, with the pair of resilient bonded father and son directing backstage, under well-synthesized original soundtracks, each punch makes it tongue-bitingly exciting!

Oncology

Millions thoughts raced through my mind but the packed overnight calls left me with no room for sleeping, let alone blogging! Roar!

Here are some bits and pieces:

1) Perhaps being an oncologist, the first thing one should equip with is to know where to stop. Be decisive on cure, be realistic on palliation.

2) Sometimes, words of genuine care are way more comforting then offering the 3rd 4th or 5th lines of chemotherapy.

3) Never overlook suffering and pain.

4) Presentation-phobia. But the excitement after facing the fear is priceless.

5) Tough feeling: how come cancers are still that invincible regardless all those medical advances we had in this era?

6) Joy came from being treated a dinner with a nice hemato-oncologist. Inspiring chat we had.

7) Lumbar puncture, bone marrow, chest drain, pleural tap, abdominal tap, pleurodesis - all in a single week! yohoo!