Can you read my mind?
29/06/2006
I had no idea Margot Kidder sang that
All I remember about Margot Kidder was how she had that on-the-edge crazed look, and that she eventually did succumb to manic depression – which she’s managed to get over with some help.
She sang that Superman song. Amazing.
What I really liked about the movie, was the movie experience. There’s really nothing like being in a theatre, when the lights are out, and the curtains gently peep open, and the words are on screen, and John Williams’s Superman theme booms through the sound system. Very Star Wars. Very very movie. Really sets the mood.
I enjoyed the movie, on the whole. I mean, it’s a flaky franchise anyway, Superman. Of all the comics-turned-movies, this is probably the second boringest. I mean, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was the worst. But Superman is just too 1978. The costume, the styling, the themes, the villian – all reek of a bygone era.
You can take the superhero out of 1978, but you can’t take the 1978 out of the hero. Christopher Reeve used to wear high waisted red briefs on top of his blue bodysuit. Brandon Routh wears a hipster. The daily planet used to be a smoky, hectic and disorganised place. Now it’s a smoke free, smart suit place complete with mounted LCDs. The villians used to be one sided and boring. Oh wait. That’s still the same.
I’m not sure if Bryan Singer was trying to keep the movie morally correct for the times, but there seemed to be a neat little anti-smoking theme. Bad things happened when cigerettes or cigars, for that matter, were lit. But that’s so lame.
Brandon Routh had his hands full with filling the shoes Christopher Reeve left behind, so it was a terrible injustice to him to have him sound and look like Christopher Reeve. It was just not going to happen. He just isn’t charismatic enough to be goofy yet adorable. He just panned out pretty idiotic most of the time.
We’ll just leave Kate Bosworth out of this conversation. It’s going to be the same conclusion all around the world.
But I enjoyed the movie. There was lots of flying, action, great theme song, nice sequences, some bits that were a bit of a cop out, but hey, it was entertainment. And for a good 2 hours or so, even with a really full bladder, I enjoyed it.
So yeah. Superman. Not great. But fun. Watch Batman and drool over Christian Bale instead.
scoop 2
28/06/2006
More sneaky phrases
But this is more Scratchy’s hang up than it is mine, since I use it from time to time. Apparently, lately Scratchy developed a hang up for at the end of the day, which I don’t think is a big deal. I think the one’s that’s more annoying than that is a piece of it is this.
Tomorrow we get to watch Superman – courtesy of the kind Movies folks. I’m really glad that Movies has taken off the way it has, and the hard work of the folks who laboured over it is coming along so nicely. So yay, Superman, with the unknown Brandon Routh and the thief of Orlando Bloom’s heart, Kate Bosworth.
I hate to say it’s going to be hard for another Superhero to top the job Christopher Nolan did with Batman Begins. A dark, troubled and fallible Batman played to perfection by the perfect Christian Bale was such a relief from the 90s Clooney versions. I guess it takes a Brit to straighten things out.
So up, up and away….!
Sometimes imitation is more than flattery
26/06/2006
Here’s a funny joke: MSN!
I never really used MSN in my life. I never started out with Hotmail (found it too cluttered in it’s pre-msn days, so you can imagine what happened to it after), and it wasn’t really a great search engine. And I never had to use MSN Messenger (thank goodness).
This week I decided to give it a whack again. I mean, you can’t really rag on the guys if you’ve never used it. And so far, my original opinions about them still stand.
MSN should just get out of the market, do the honourable thing, have your dramatic seppuku, have Google or Yahoo! chop your head off, and carry on with your operating system thingamagig. Leave the internet to the people who care.
How do you know MSN doesn’t care? It’s in the little details.
Like how, the MSN homepage will pop open 3 separate windows if you try to sign into hotmail from there. This coming from people who built a browser that doesn’t open tabs. What are they trying to do? Window me to death?
Like how, the pages look wonky (overflowing text) or don’t load in Firefox. But fine. Tons of people don’t design for Firefox, I suppose you won’t.
Like how, Hotmail still starts you off with only 25mb, and will bump you up to 250mb if you’re good. For Pete’s sake, hardly anyone is going to use the 1gb of space. So do they *really* want to look like the idiot left standing with just their undies when everyone else at the party is in a suit? Mind you, it’s not like those nerds at MSN are worth a second glance at. Just check Valleywag. No one in the hottie list was from MSN.
Like how, Hotmail still insists on the 30-day inactivity policy – 30 days of inactivity will render your account inactive and your mail will be wiped. Wah lau, please lah. Dun need so giam kana right? Your user’s lives don’t revolve around you, you know.
Like how, when viewing your Hotmail inbox you’ve to click on the sender instead of the subject line of your mail to view your mail. Dudes – fire your UI designer. Either that or get a real one. Those gawky interns don’t count.
Like how, until a month ago, MSN messenger didn’t offer offline messages. Please. That’s so insulting. Offline messages have been available since 1999.
Seriously?
I don’t like mondays
26/06/2006
I’ll tell you why, I don’t like Mondays. I don’t like Mondays… I want to shoo-oo-ooo-ooo-ooo-oot the whole day down.
Why isn’t life like a Korean drama? Why aren’t there 2 brothers fighting over me – ok, granted they’re not very cute and I don’t really want to be abandoned as a child and I don’t really want to work like 4 jobs a day to support a very sick brother and stuff – I just don’t see why!
Or why doesn’t a 27 year old hottie just fall head over heels in love with me? Sure I can’t bake and I don’t drink and I already play the piano, kinda, but I’ve got the tun-tun going and I’m the right age. Alright, I can even make do with the totally hot doctor of the sick ex-girlfriend of the really hot 27 year old, I’m not picky.
Why can’t life be more like a Korean drama?
My 19 year old sister in law
25/06/2006
Yup, I’m onto my next Korean Drama but the leads in this one aren’t as enticing as My Lovely Sam Soon. Nonetheless, it’s good entertainment – the doctor in this series reminds me of the first small-eyed boy. Well, my first small-eyed boy. Unfortunately my first small-eyed boy just got less cute with puberty and all.
Am watching this one in Cantonese for a change, because the subtitles are so bad, it’s becoming a real chore trying to figure out what it’s supposed to mean.
We had a pretty fruitful trip to Funan today, KF came home with not 1, but 2 Nintendo DS lites. They were going for $279 each at Funan bundled with a game too. We got a blue one and the white one.
And while he was on a roll he got himself a camera. Which is about time, I’ve had about 3 while he was in between cameras (well, he was getting over the Olympus). Just in time too, before I head on with camera #4.
scoop
23/06/2006
KF found a sneaky phrase today
Sneaky phrases are just that – sneaky phrases. They’re not your run-of-the-mill, straight tootin, hip-shooting descriptions. No.
Sneaky phrases are like the ingratiating kinda people – they sound normal, not bombastic, not too complicated, but their sum is meant to be more than their parts. Most times, in a sickening, obsequious way.
So today’s sneaky phrase of the day is over and above and it’s clone, above and beyond. At first, it sounds innocuous enough. But then when you deconstruct it, it’s superfluous. So it’s an exaggeration to begin with. What’s sneaky about it is that it’s a mild exaggeration, simply just over & beyond. It’s sneaky because it’s one of those falsely modest type of exaggerations, which is in my books, kinda the worst kind.
It’s worse than something blatantly base as low hanging fruit.
I didn’t really find over and above AKA above and beyondthat offensive until I heard it in use – when someone described how it would do something for someone else over and above their regular duties as a favour. Maybe my view of over and above is tainted by that, because to me, it was really no value added, it was just a bunch of hot air. But that the person whipped out the whole over and above song and dance made me think about the phrase as a whole, and I grew to loathe it.
And today, KF reminded me of it. He hates it too. We have so much in common 
So it’s official. Over and above and above and beyond is now on my sneakiest phrase list, and it’s right on top.
Don’t say it to me. Don’t even breath it near me. Unless you’re looking for trouble.
Thanks!
More korean drama drama!
21/06/2006
Man this Korean drama is getting good!
Nevermind the played out to death storyline – you know, unlikely couple brought together by obstacles and very often very good looking third and fourth parties – but damn, it’s like the small-eye department of the supermarket. Rows and rows of small eyed men, damn it’s goooood.
So there is Hyun Bin and a really cute Daniel Henny. These two aren’t exactly small eyed though.
My Lovely Sam Soon is turning out to be like Full House, except where Rain was ugly and Song Hye Geo was cute, the chick Kim Sun-ah plays is chubby and not very attractive and the dudes in the show are so seriously cute.
K. More drooling. Talk later.
Just a little more
21/06/2006
To further my education in Korean culture, I found myself a funny series (with English subs – no mean feat!) and it’s been pretty hilarious so far.
I’ve been accused of mashing my sayings lately, but lemme just spread it out for you in a nutshell.
My Lovely Sam Soon is awkwardly funny – and for a change the leading lady is crass, chubby and unmanicured. I like it so far, although there are the nails on the chalkboard moments that take a stomach of steel to stomach.
I haven’t learnt any new Korean phrases but it’s funny when the characters make fun of their culture – from the new age bits like plastic surgery, to the perennial favourites like marriage.
All I can say is boy, I’m glad I’m not Korean.
Hello Ralph Fiennes
21/06/2006
The brother who truly looks fine
Not like that scruffy Joseph. He’s on Inside the Actor’s Studio right now, and he needs a haircut, but he’s ok.
I had a bad day today, I feel like the product launches are less organised, and more conveyor belt. It’s ending up like the crap you get at Sucky Sushi. $1.99 per plate, but you might as well be eating styrofoam. I’ll be happy when we get to Sushi Tei quality, so at least I know I can count on them for a good Sashimi Salad and Steak Sushi.
In which movie did Ralph Fiennes say – Is this the face of a rat? Are these the eyes of a rat?
Ok clue: the next line is – Has not a Jew eyes?
That was a good movie. I just saw it, yeah, about ten years later. But it’s not one of those things that will make you come back from the grave if you didn’t do it before you died. In fact, few things are.
It’s so soothing to hear Ralph Fiennes talk. I think Christian Bale sounds better, but Christian Bale didn’t star in The End of The Affair. That was such a good movie. Julianne Moore is so charming too. Almost doesn’t make you feel jealous she’s frolicking around with Ralph Fiennes.
I first saw Ralph Fiennes in Quiz Show. Admittedly at that time I was preoccupied with the Northern Exposure guy instead, the dumbass I was. The thing I love about actors like Ralph Fiennes and Christian Bale, and to a lessor extent Clive Owen is that they’re not afraid of playing the bad guy. And even when they do it, they still manage to show a three dimensional character, a person who’s not completely bad, or completely good. I suppose it shows somehow, a lack of insecurity. A real person. Who is willing to be seen flawed, like he really is.
That’s beautiful, in the most honest way.
Quo Vadimus
19/06/2006
Is the Aaron Sorkin TV series
That came before The West Wing, which everyone seems to remember or know. And that’s a shame, because Sports Night was so much better. So, so much.
So it’s about the lives of a crew behind a second rate Sports variety show, a competitor to ESPN or something. It features a couple of desperate housewives – Felicity Huffman, and the ethereal Brenda Strong. A few other West Wing regulars also showed up – like Jenna Maloney and Joshua Molina.
A pre-Meet the Parents Teri Polo showed up midseason as a love interest. Not a very likeable one, but different. William H Macy also showed up in a guest role, and perhaps that’s how he met Felicity Huffman, or maybe, just maybe, he got the gig because of her.
But of course, the most delectable of the cast has to be Peter Krause. He was in We Don’t Live Here Anymore, and Six Feet Under after the run here. His character was supposed to be based loosely on Craig Kilborn, and if Craig Kilborn were that cute, I’d watch ESPN.
Then there’s Josh Charles, Mr Dead Poet’s Society himself. He looks a little too much like a bird to count.
Sabrina Lloyd is a very cute Associate Producer to Felicity Huffman, although it’s weird she’s not really on TV anymore. She’s cute in every sense of the word, and she gets the most surprising sports-stuff – mostly surprising because you can’t imagine sports ever figuring in the vocabulary of someone who looks that cute.
Robert Guillaume – star of the 80′s Benson – stars as the managing editor of Sports Night, and he was good. They wrote in the stroke he suffered during filming into his character, and I was kinda relieved he eventually came back (with cane and all). He is in a class of his own, and it shows, but it was nice to see the chemistry between him and the rest of the cast nonetheless.
It only ran for two seasons or so, but Sports Night managed to steer away from being preachy, soapy or lamey the way other shows tend to end up. At least it ended on a high – no pun intended to Mr Sorkin – with Aaron Sorkin ditching this for the West Wing. After all there’s only so much you can do in the half hour slot for Sports Night, but there’s a whole lot of preaching you can do with Martin Sheen and a whole hour slot.
In any case, if there’s one TV series to catch, it should be Sports Night. It’s a seriously intelligent series. You don’t have to be a sports fan. You just have to be quick, or be able to read subtitles quick. The DVD box set has all episodes, so you don’t have to worry about getting season 1 and season 2. It’s a 2-for-1.
