Star Trek: Into Darkness

Star Trek was AMAZING. I simple cannot begin to rave about how everything in the movie was just awesome, from soundtrack, to cheesy light flares. I am no where near a true Trekkie, but merely a convert after their first movie in 2009 (was it?).

I remember that evening when a few guy friends were trying to convince Siyi and I to watch the movie when it came out. We made the typical 'whaaaat.... don't want la... so geeekyyyyy' comments and reluctantly went.

OH MY GOSH WAS THAT THE BEST DECISION EVER.

Perhaps it was the graphics, or the large Imax screen, or the fantastic Dolby Surround sound, but both of us really enjoyed it much more than we expected. I personally enjoy 'prelude' movies that bring you right to the beginning of a story, whether it be one of the Marvel movies or whatever. It just allows typical non-fans like me to follow the story from the start and fell like you haven't missed much.

And you know how sequels are normally pretty shitty? This one was just DA BOMB. Sure there were a few dumb moments in the movie where you'd go riiiighhhttt, but Benedict Cumberbatch was just right on. Such a psycho villan, I felt he did a great job just being so ruthless. I reckon he was better than Bane in Batman. (It's that posh accent that makes him so frightening  I reckon, hahaha).

Movie Review: The Woman in Black

I know I said I'd blog about the differences between the Queensland and Singaporean Education system, but a movie review on a horror movie starring good ole' Harry Potty is way more interesting.. right?

We caught The Woman In Black over the weekend via... (the internet? heh), thanks to Mark's ever resourcefulness. When he first suggested the movie, I immediately recalled a horror play I watched a few years back in Singapore with the same title. It was a fantastically theatre adaptation of the novel by Susan Hill, which has also formed the basis of this 2012 movie.

It was interesting to see Harry Potty, I mean Daniel Radcliffe, in a role other than a wand wielding boy. I must admit that it's hard not to see him as the boy wizard. Even as he wielded an axe in one scene, we all half expected him to shout out 'Experiliamus!' at one point or another. Plus, he was supposed to play a widowed father of a 4 year old.. In my opinion, pushing it a little. But he was great nontheless. Still looked like a boy next to the other actors, but he did his best as the protagonist of a horror story.


Check out the creepy iconic picture of movie... Shudder-inducing eh?

The official advertisement has all the chill-factors needed in a horror movie.. Creepy wind up toys, golden-haired little girls... And of course,  a haunting poem read out by a little girl in the most disturbing manner..




In my opinon, the advertisement was better than the movie, who's horror didn't exactly peak at the climax, rather, they made the common mistake of letting you see too much of the ghost.I find that a common mistake in horror shows. Once you get to see the ghost for too long, you realise that it's all make up, effects, and that you might even see the Nike shoes under their white flowy dresses.

It was pretty scary throughout most of the movie. A lot of the 'background-hide-and-seek' games you play with the ghost. The movie had some very subtle 'ghost' scenes, much like the asian horror shows (ghost in back grounds without the shocking 'dum dummm' music to accompany, ala the original Dark Water). Just like the window scene above, they didn't have to give you that shocking music to scare the wits out of you. Something I appreciated. However they still do use plenty of the typical Hollywood style in-your-face 'BOO' scare tactics throughout the movie.

I still enjoyed the movie nontheless, purely because I've been so taken away by the original play I'd seen so many years ago, that this movie, in some way, brought me back to the theatre all those years back and reminded me of what was so carptivating and thrilling in the first place.

Don't watch it alone ;)