Of movies and singpost

A case of theateritis struck me right about the time i got done with my final paper for 3325. From Tashan to Iron man..and most recently, Harold and Kumar Part deux! Each film was a wild ride in its own way.. though by far, Iron Man got to me the most. Robert Downey makes for an unlikely superhero but damn, he does one helluva kickass job! I've got a thing for snark...and Downey's got that in spades. In spades i tell ya!

Tashan was interesting. The cinematography was disappointing to say the least, considering that it was helmed by Yash Raj productions. There was no subtle transition between scenes which gave me the distinct impression that the editing was a very much a 'straight from the clipboard and piece 'em together' deal. However, the excellent cast and the witty repartee more than made up for it. Saif was totally in his element (as usual!) and his final scene with Anil Kapoor almost had me peeing my pants! Anil was most definitely the saving grace of the film and considering the fact that i don't even like Anil, that's high praise indeed. Kareena was forgettable in most scenes, save a few. But she did add a nice filmy touch to the movie, what with her prancing about in wee teeny shorts and lime-green bikinis. The thought that she might have looked a little tranny-ish did cross my head but that could be due to the fact that I could never pull off a lime-green bikini. But then again...maybe not. Maybe she really did look tranny. Ish. Never mind that. Akshay was good as usual..but he COULD have been utilised more productively. We are talking about a guy here with 6 consecutive hits in a row. You'd think the writer-producer-director ensemble could have given his role abit more scope. But nooo..
Nevertheless..the movie as a whole was worth it. But it could have been better. That's all i'm saying. Yeah.

Next! Iron Man. By far one of the BEST superhero flicks i've ever seen. Seriously. It's right up there ranking just below X-men - the first part. I'd say it has even got one up on Batman Begins simply because there's a perfect equilibrium of humor and seriousness. Batman begins was an excellent flick really but the feel of the movie was more avenger of the mortal , bleeding kind rather than superhero. Gritty and coarse. Which was definitely not what Iron Man was all about. And yet...yet, Downey puts a lovely spin to his character. He's incredibly snarky which is really very sexy. He comes across as being bloody brilliant as well as being bloody secure in the knowledge that he's bloody brilliant. Which is also very bloody sexy. Alright, i'd quit with the bloody right about now. Jeff Bridges was also perfect as the bidding-his-time, scheming nemesis. It was rather refreshing to see him in such a role because to the best of my memory.. i've never seen him casted as a villian before. Also, for the first time ever, i actually liked Gwenyth in a movie. Usually, i cannot abide by her damsel-in-distress performances and her perpetually perplexed face. Imagine a blond Keanu Reeves with boobs. Yeap..that'd be Gwenyth. How she ever won awards for her performance, i will never know. Surprisingly though, she wasn't half bad in Iron Man. Probably because she didn't have much screen time.
If i had to quibble about Iron Man though.. it'd be about the CGI. Really guys, CGI is awesome and all but only if it blends effectively into the natural setting. The audience is not dumb. We can tell the difference between crappy effects and damn good ones a la Jurassic Park.

That brings me to my final movie - Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay. Yeah. This movie was hilarious. From start to end, Kal Penn and John Cho had me in stitches. I really don't know what to wax lyrical about. The Al-Qaeda - North Korea tie-up? The stereotypical dumb american? The KKK keggers? The highlighting of sodomy in prisons? The rage against the minorities? The writers have basically taken every (almost!) failing in US of the A and turned them into mockeries of themselves. You've got a gang of huge black guys intent on helping rather than bashing. You've got a Caucasian unable to recognise an Oriental just by looking at his features. You've got an Indian being mistaken for an Arab. Sensitive issues like that turned into comedy routines and has you laughing at the absurdity of it all (and also quite wondering why on earth people subscribe to such ridiculous stereotypes). It's a movie that doesn't take itself seriously and doesn't expect you to take yourself seriously as well. For that 1 and a half hr at least. But of course, being a Hollywood comedy, it has got to have its fair share of toilet humor as well, which it does. I don't reckon i'd hold a grudge though. There was intelligent comedy and sometimes you've got to take the good with the bad. John Cho rocked by the way. After seeing successes like Sandra Oh, it really surprises me why Hollywood doesn't use more Asian, East Asian etc etc. actors in their flicks. America was afterall founded on the amalgamation of many different races and religions. If we can have Bullseye taking the mick instead of the piss.. then surely we can have oh-i-dont-know..a korean universal soldier? Well.. i'm just saying. Maybe it's time the industry opened itself up more to Asians.

I want to check out the Other Boleyn Girl before it gets out of the theatre. Hope i'm not too late in catching it. *crosses fingers*

In other news, Singpost has gotten me ranting and raving. How fucking long does it take to deliver a parcel? It's been one week already and i still have yet to receive my parcel! And i've paid a pretty little penny for my goods. If it's not here soon, i swear i'm going to burst a nerve. And take sadistic pleasure in busting some too. *scowls*