Movie – Law Abiding Citizen

 

Starring: Jamie Foxx, Gerard Butler, Viola Davis, Bruce McGill, Leslie Bibb, Colm Meaney, Regina Hall

Director: F. Gary Gray

Rated R for strong bloody brutal violence and torture, a scene of rape, and pervasive language.

General Plot :  frustrated man decides to take justice into his own hands after a plea bargain sets one of his family’s killers free. He targets not only the killer but also the district attorney and others involved in the deal.

Review : Not as bad as the critics make it out to be in my opinion besides what movie is ever without flaws?  I rather liked the idea of a tactical genius forced into taking matters into his own hands when his pleas for justice falls on deaf ears.  Why would he not? When he has lost everything and had even fought for the government , institutions in the past.  He certainly has the skill and the knowledge to carry out his crusade.

Okay so I’ll agree this film is gruesome, gory and at times comes across as an ‘old done over’  exploitation film.  The ending lacks the finesse you would expect of a carefully thought out plot.  Moreover it is even illogical and uncharacteristic of Shelton( Gerard Butler) to carry out what he planned to do in the end. And as for Jamie Foxx, he was clearly a wrong choice for the role he played, but then again this is my personal take. 

That being said, I would still add the DVD to my collection.

Serenity

Movie – Tooth Fairy (2010)

  

Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Ashley Judd, Stephen Merchant, Julie Andrews, Ryan Sheckler

Director: Michael Lembeck

Well this movie is clearly a ‘feel good movie’ intended for kids, with a message for parents to let their kids dream.  The overall humour in it might bring on a smile or two from the Adults accompanying their kids.  However without Billy Crystal’s relatively short role in it, you’d probably not hear any laughter in the Cinema.  And they certainly got it right with Julie Andrews because who else can play the role of the fairy Godmother with such elegance and grace!

Well the movie is nothing to shout about for the adults, but younger kids seem to really enjoy it.

Book Review-Hell’s Kitchen by Jeffrey Deaver

 Sypnosis :- Every New York City neighborhood has a story, but what John Pellam uncovers in Hell’s Kitchen has a darkness all its own. The Hollywood location scout and former stuntman is in the Big Apple hoping to capture the unvarnished memories of longtime Kitchen residents such as Ettie Washington in a no-budget documentary film. But when a suspicious fire ravages the elderly woman’s crumbling tenement, Pellam realizes that someone might want the past to stay buried.

As more buildings and lives go up in flames, Pellam takes to the streets, seeking the twisted pyromaniac who sells services to the highest bidder. But Pellam is unaware that the fires are merely flickering preludes to the arsonist’s ultimate masterpiece, a conflagration of nearly unimaginable proportion, with Hell’s Kitchen — and John Pellam — at its blackened and searing epicenter.

What makes a thriller great, is when it’s far from predictable.  With Jeffrey Deaver the likely suspects are unlikely while the unlikely suspects are the most likely but then again you may still get it wrong! 

Hell’s kitchen builds up nicely in the beginning then slows down in the middle and accelerates to an exciting finale.  You get to experience why Hell’s kitchen is aptly name through it’s characters and even delve into the sick twisted mind of a pyromaniac through Deaver’s vivid descriptions.

Apparently this is the last novel of the John Pellam series.  Even though this is my first book of that series I enjoyed all the same.

Magnifique Chinese Dragon Tat

Reply From The Warden…

A few months back I was quite upset an wrote a mock letter to the warden of the Church I attend, just to clear my head.   And interestingly enough…..No not that he had read it, but that he walked up to where I was seated at the canteen with my family and asked if he could seat and talk.

He began by shaking my hand and requested we start afresh by putting the past behind us.  I agreed, however I felt that I needed to explain my actions regardless of whether it was right or wrong.  After listening, he apologised for his part in that episode even though he was just carrying out his duty. Because he agreed he could have handled the situation better. 

He then inquired if I attended St Gabe’s as he was trying his best to place me as I looked awfully familiar to him.  I told him that I’ve met and spoken to him before some 20++ years ago as we were from the same parish then in a different district.  We talked and caught up for a few more minutes when he asked if I would consider joining him in becoming a warden myself.

I told him I had always wanted to take a more active role in Church however shift work does not permit me to do so on a regular basis especially on weekends.  He then informed me that it would not be a problem and that I should give it some serious consideration.   I thanked him and told him that I would do so indeed, shook hands again and we parted ways.

Well I must say it is leading up to be a very interesting New Year indeed.  Oh and his name is not Ben as I recalled in my ‘letter’ but Raphael.

Ratings For Each Post..

I didn’t even realise there was this option available on wordpress.  Apparently when enabled, readers are able to rate each post by clicking first on the header of the post.

I was torn choosing between the 5 star rating system or the Nero Rating one, so in the end I opted the latter for sheer simplicity.  Basically it’s just a thumbs up or thumbs down rating system.  I wonder if I have to go through each individual post after some time just to check back on the ratings or is there a ratings summary page??

Ha ha just as I typed that last sentence, I glanced down and there is a ‘Reports’ button under the Ratings tab!

Anyhow any feedback will be great….better yet if you would take the time to comment or just say hi.  However for those too tired or just feeling lazy here’s a new option….just a click away 😆

Nothing Is More Important To A Woman…

Then…….

Accessories!

 

aka Accoutrements 😆

A Nice Experience Staying at Sentosa Cove

We were fortunate enough to be given a chance to stay at a condominium in Sentosa Cove.   From what I understand from my cousin who went to New Zealand with her family for the Christmas holidays, the rental of the place is about $14000 a month.   It is definitely a nice place to stay for the more fortunate or whomever can afford to.   Well the fact that Lamborghinis and Ferraris are easily spotted around the various houses says it all.

Anyhow we had lots of  fun in Sentosa itself especially at the luge and the 4D cinema, though it would have been nice if the Universal Studios Theme Park had gone live while we staying there.

Here are a few pics of the two storey condo we stayed at and the last few showing some nice houses with a Marina right in front of them.  Missed out taking a pic of the private jacuzzi on the top floor facing the sea!

The view from one of the balconies facing the sea

Dad pointing out something though I cannot remember what?

Another view....

Book Review – Garden Of Beasts by Jeffrey Deaver

 Sypnosis : 

Paul Schumann, a German-American living in New York City in 1936, is a mobster hit man known equally for his brilliant tactics and for taking only “righteous” jobs. But when a hit goes wrong and Schumann is nabbed, he’s offered a stark choice: kill Reinhard Ernst, the man behind Hitler’s rearmament scheme, and walk free forever—or be sent to Sing-Sing and the electric chair.

The instant Paul sets foot in Berlin his mission becomes a deadly cat-and-mouse chase, with danger and betrayal lurking at every turn. For the next forty-eight hours, as the city prepares for the coming summer Olympics, Schumann stalks Ernst, while a dogged criminal police officer and the entire Third Reich security apparatus search frantically for the American. Packed with fascinating period detail and featuring a cast of perfectly realized local characters, Olympic athletes, and senior Nazi officials—some real, some fictional—Garden of Beasts dishes up breathtaking action, a wrenching look at Nazi-era Berlin, and a series of stunning plot twists.

Well you can hardly go wrong with Jeffrey Deaver, even his worst written novel which I have yet to find could still be on The New York Time Bestseller List simply because he is a brilliant writer with a brilliant Chess player’s mind except in his case he’d beat you before you even move your first piece. 

While this book is fiction, the superbly combined factual events and things of that period makes this a very intriguing and an exciting read.  And because if this, I’ve decided to read another one of his books next – Hell’s Kitchen.

On The Recent Burning Of Churches In Msia..

Unbelivable! All because the name ‘Allah’ was used to describe a Christian God in a Christian Newspaper so that some Malay Christians could relate better perhaps.  Did it ever occur to those folks that they could be worshipping the very same God, who goes by many different names?

This episode brought back memories of the late Mr. George Carlin, when he did “The Sanctity Of Life’ Stand up Comedy act which left me in stitches and yet brought on a whole different perspective of things.

I have bolded the bits which I recalled, when I was giving thought on the above subject….

But you know, the longer you listen to this abortion debate, the more you hear this phrase ‘sanctity of life’. You’ve heard that. Sanctity of life. You believe in it? Personally, I think it’s a bunch of shit. Well, I mean, life is sacred? Who said so? God? Hey, if you read history, you realise that God is one of the leading causes of death. Has been for thousands of years. Hindus, Muslims, Jews, Christians all taking turns killing each other ‘cuz God told them it was a good idea. The sword of God, the blood of the land, veangence is mine. Millions of dead motherfuckers. Millions of dead motherfuckers all because they gave the wrong answer to the God question. ‘You believe in God?’ ‘No.’ *Pdoom*. Dead. ‘You believe in God?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘You believe in my God? ‘No.’ *Poom*. Dead. ‘My God has a bigger dick than your God!’ Thousands of years. Thousands of years, and all the best wars, too. The bloodiest, most brutal wars fought, all based on religious hatred. Which is fine with me. Hey, any time a bunch of holy people want to kill each other I’m a happy guy.

But don’t be giving me all this shit about the sanctity of life. I mean, even if there were such a thing, I don’t think it’s something you can blame on God. No, you know where the sanctity of life came from? We made it up. You know why? ‘Cuz we’re alive. Self-interest. Living people have a strong interest in promoting the idea that somehow life is sacred. You don’t see Abbott and Costello running around, talking about this shit, do you? We’re not hearing a whole lot from Musolini on the subject. What’s the latest from JFK? Not a goddamn thing. ‘Cuz JFK, Musolini and Abbott and Costello are fucking dead. They’re fucking dead. And dead people give less than a shit about the sanctity of life. Only living people care about it so the whole thing grows out of a completely biased point of view. It’s a self serving, man-made bullshit story.

It’s one of these things we tell ourselves so we’ll feel noble. Life is sacred. Makes you feel noble. Well let me ask you this: if everything that ever lived is dead, and everything alive is gonna die, where does the sacred part come in? I’m having trouble with that. ‘Cuz, I mean, even with all this stuff we preach about the sanctity of life, we don’t practice it. We don’t practice it. Look at what we’d kill: Mosquitos and flies. ‘Cuz they’re pests. Lions and tigers. ‘Cuz it’s fun! Chickens and pigs. ‘Cuz we’re hungry. Pheasants and quails. ‘Cuz it’s fun. And we’re hungry. And people. We kill people… ‘Cuz they’re pests. And it’s fun!

And you might have noticed something else. The sanctity of life doesn’t seem to apply to cancer cells, does it? You rarely see a bumper sticker that says ‘Save the tumors.’. Or ‘I brake for advanced melanoma.’. No, viruses, mold, mildew, maggots, fungus, weeds, E. Coli bacteria, the crabs. Nothing sacred about those things. So at best the sanctity of life is kind of a selective thing. We get to choose which forms of life we feel are sacred, and we get to kill the rest. Pretty neat deal, huh? You know how we got it? We made the whole fucking thing up! Made it up! The same way… thank you.

Happy Birthday Gerry!

Tried calling you on the phone to wish but it appears to be switched off, anyhow hope you’re enjoying yourself over there and wish all them Aussies for me a BIG  G’DAY MATE!  OZ OZ OZ OI OI OI!

Here’s Some Nice Quotes I found for you…..( I especially like the bolded ones )

Having a sister is like having a best friend you can’t get rid of. You know whatever you do, they’ll still be there. ~Amy Li

A sister is a little bit of childhood that can never be lost. ~Marion C. Garretty

Brothers and sisters are as close as hands and feet. ~Vietnamese Proverb

Children of the same family, the same blood, with the same first associations and habits, have some means of enjoyment in their power, which no subsequent connections can supply… ~Jane Austen, Mansfield Park, 1814

What’s the good of news if you haven’t a sister to share it? ~Jenny DeVries

A sister smiles when one tells one’s stories – for she knows where the decoration has been added. ~Chris Montaigne

I, who have no sisters or brothers, look with some degree of innocent envy on those who may be said to be born to friends. ~James Boswell

There can be no situation in life in which the conversation of my dear sister will not administer some comfort to me. ~Mary Montagu

In the cookies of life, sisters are the chocolate chips. ~Author Unknown

Sweet is the voice of a sister in the season of sorrow. ~Benjamin Disraeli

When mom and dad don’t understand, a sister always will. ~Author Unknown

To the outside world we all grow old. But not to brothers and sisters. We know each other as we always were. We know each other’s hearts. We share private family jokes. We remember family feuds and secrets, family griefs and joys. We live outside the touch of time. ~Clara Ortega

Our brothers and sisters are there with us from the dawn of our personal stories to the inevitable dusk. ~Susan Scarf Merrell

Our siblings push buttons that cast us in roles we felt sure we had let go of long ago – the baby, the peacekeeper, the caretaker, the avoider…. It doesn’t seem to matter how much time has elapsed or how far we’ve traveled. ~Jane Mersky Leder

Sisters annoy, interfere, criticize. Indulge in monumental sulks, in huffs, in snide remarks. Borrow. Break. Monopolize the bathroom. Are always underfoot. But if catastrophe should strike, sisters are there. Defending you against all comers. ~Pam Brown

It was nice growing up with someone like you – someone to lean on, someone to count on… someone to tell on! ~Author Unknown

Sisters don’t need words. They have perfected a language of snarls and smiles and frowns and winks – expressions of shocked surprise and incredulity and disbelief. Sniffs and snorts and gasps and sighs – that can undermine any tale you’re telling. ~Pam Brown

Whatever you do they will love you; even if they don’t love you they are connected to you till you die. You can be boring and tedious with sisters, whereas you have to put on a good face with friends. ~Deborah Moggach

You keep your past by having sisters. As you get older, they’re the only ones who don’t get bored if you talk about your memories. ~Deborah Moggach