TMD's Creatively Named Blog

I'm gonna be upfront with all of you: my mom is way cooler than yours. I'm not going to detail history (years in India, on a ship, etc) or the fact that she's someone I can have long Skype calls with.

Nah, instead I'm gonna do a quote compilation.

You're like Spock, you know. Except instead of Vulcan and Earth you're from Singapore and the US. You've gotta find that balance too.

I'm at the point where you and Nathan Drake are inseparable in my mind

Oh I remember the doctor [Mordin Solus] from when [Zarai] played. I like him.

I need to watch another episode of That 70's Show, I've forgotten what the mom's laugh sounds like

Yes, that's it! Eat it, take it home and kill your family!

I'm fully aware this puts me in a fairly dorkish category. But honestly, I don't mind. =P

I was bored, I had the resources... Let's face it: it had to happen.

As promised, here are a few more shots from the midnight showing.

Looking important


Pepper helping adjust the repulsor arm


Just plain cool


So hard to resist

More to come once I get them

Well how about that.

A movie I really wanted to see came out. Sadly, it wasn't showing in Florence. naturally, I figured I'd make the hundred mile trip to see it in Charlotte.

Totally worth it. I really liked Blue Like Jazz. If/when I start making movies, and if I ever make a film that can remotely be titled 'Christiany', I intend it to be in the vein of that movie. That is it was a film about faith that focused more on characters and the plot then sermonizing. And it was funny. Real funny. And had a lot of heart.

tl;dr
TMD drove two hours to watch a movie. He was also the only one in the cinema.

Part Two of TMD's Fourth Annual Movie Awards

Yesterday I posted the big movie list. Today's the Awards. As usual we have my rather unusual categories. Now, due to the tardiness of my writing and posting this, I've kinda forgotten a lot of the movies I shortlisted in my head so sometimes I'll just have the winner rather than a bunch of nominees too.

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Worst Movie
Basically, what sucks. These movies are not so-bad-they're-good, but are so-bad-they're-worse.

Nominees:
I Am Number Four
Hollow characters, boring plot... It just didn't work.
Winner: The Change Up
There's so much wrong and wasted with this movie that I have no idea where to even begin. An utter, utter, waste of time.
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Baddonkey of the Year
Every good action movie's got him. You can throw an army, the empire state building, and the kitchen sink at him, and he still prevails. And for that, he is awesome.

Nominees:
Hanna, Hanna
Scary little girl
The Driver, Drive
Silent rage has never been so terrifying
Winner: Ethan Hunt, MI4
So much of what he does is just plain cool. And, by extension, Tom Cruise for actually doing wirework off the Burj Khalifa
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Best Dialogue:
Super 8
It comes quick and natural sounding, as any good movie should. But more than that conversations take place simultaneously and over each other. It's wonderful, lifelike, and, surprisingly, follow-able.
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Best Comedy
All told it was a fairly disappointing year for comedies. Sure, we had Bridesmaids, the supposed distaff counterpart to The Hangover. But it simply just wasn't as funny.

So what was fantastic this year?

The Muppets
There's some strange charm to this show. It's amazingly self aware and when it spends a lot of time leaning on the fourth wall (if not outright breaking it). It's hilarious, it's fun, and, all told, the best and funniest comedy of the year.
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Best Soundtrack
Music carries a film. Duh. Here's the best:

We Bought A Zoo
The music in is ethereal, real but not quite. It accentuates the plot, serving to show just how dream like buying a zoo is
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Coolest Movie
This is the movie that makes you think "Dude, that's frickin' awesome"

Nominees:
Captain America, C'mon man, they designed stuff based on actual wacky Nazi plans.
Transformers: Dark of the Moon, It's giant robots beating the stuffing out of other giant robots!
Sucker Punch, didn't make much sense, but hey, it was cool!
Winner: Mission Impossible — Ghost Protocol
Climbing. The. Burj. Khalifa.
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Who needs character/plot development when you've got booms?

Transformers: Dark of the Moon
It's giant robots beating the everything out of other giant robots for awesome and stuff. Unlike the prior ones, it focused mostly on this. And it is good.
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Most Innovative
This is the movie that did something new, something cool, or just special.

Nominees:
Drive, it's an arthouse action movie. That's new.
The Adventures of Tintin, rather than trying to find actors who sorta looked like the characters, they just animated the whole thing. A very wise way to bring something to the screen that other franchises *cough*uncharted*cough* should follow.

Winner: Fast Five
Guys, the Asian got the hot Brazilian chick! When has that ever happened in a movie!?

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Best Special Effects
If I need to explain this, then, well, stop reading.

Real Steel
The seamless integration of practical and digital effects really give the illusion that these fighting robots are real. (Note: This movie also has one of the coolest shots of the year. You'll know it when you see it)
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Best Actor:
Ryan Gosling, The Driver, Drive
Somehow he manages to portray the cold, calm, really really scary rage of his character. It's a good film, carried entirely by his excellent, quiet acting.
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Best Actress:
Elle Fanning, Alice Dainard, Super 8
Friends, we've found the better Fanning sister.
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Movies That I Really Like For Reasons That I'm Not Quite Sure

The Adjustment Bureau
There was something about this that I really liked. Might have been the existential nature to it, or maybe it was the theme of challenging fate. Dunno. I liked it.
We Bought A Zoo
No, the reason's not Scarlett Johansson (though that was the main reason I watched it). Near as I can figure my affinity for this film stems from the pseudo-family formed among the family and the zoo crew.
Restless
It's quirky, it's cute, it deals with dying people. I just really liked it.
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Best Animated Film:
The Adventures of Tintin
Alright, I read and really enjoyed the comics growing up. Then the movie stayed true to the spirit of them and felt like another adventure come to life. Really can't find any complaints here.
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Best Moving Picture:
Super 8
Okay. Where do I begin here?
a) It's a movie about a group of kids making a movie during the summer. It's fun, and, if you're me, very familiar. It's a fun plot. Furthermore, it's about these kids going on an adventure and beginning to grow up.
2) Unlike most movies of the sort, the parents aren't thrown out the window. The ones relevant to the plot are given proper arcs.
iii) The alien that everyone talks about isn't the point of the movie. Yes, there's an alien. But it's just a plot device. The real meat of the story comes from the kids and how their lives are interrupted/changed by the event.
Overall, Super 8 is an old fashioned Spielbergian adventure. The characters, the plot, the dialogue, it all comes together to make it my favorite movie of 2011.
And hey, I saw it in cinemas three times.

Hey everyone!

For the record, I know I am way overdue. I blame this on a mix of procrastination, waiting for movies to come out in Singapore, then waiting for movies to come out on Netflix, then just more procrastionating. In any case,

Welcome To TMD's Fourth Annual Movie Awards Part One

As usual I'm listing every movie I saw this year. You get the idea. Naturally these are all subjective and it has been a while since I've seen some of them.

Enough of an opening, here it is:

Legend:
º means did not see it in cinemas
Multiple * denotes number of times saw in cinema
- — Eh. More or less sucked.
-/+ — Meh. See it if you want.
+ — Fairly good film, worth a watch.
++ — One of the better films of the year. Definitely go see this.
+++ — Amazing is not description enough. Go watch it.

-The Green Hornet, -/+, it's... whatever
-No Strings Attached, +, enjoyable enough, due in no small part to the leads. Also should be required watching after Black Swan.
-The Mechanic, -/+, leaves no impression at the end.
-Just Go With It, -, some humor but, well,
-I Am Number Four, -, poor pacing and a plain shoddy plot,
-Unknown, -/+, it had potential but never quite lives up to it
-The Adjustment Bureau, ++, an engaging thriller that takes full advantage of its premise and succeeds
-Rango, ++, a wonderfully dark film whose animation and dialogue help it stand out
-Battle: Los Angeles, +, it was a monster movie from the pov of a squad, not unlike Cloverfield.
-Limitless, +, Bradley Cooper helps the somewhat hollow plot stay interesting
-Paul, +
-Sucker Punch, +, beautifully shot and wonderfully edited, though the plot takes a while to settle in to your head
-Source Code, ++, It's like Groundhog Day meets Assassin's Creed. Engaging and gripping that takes its premise and runs with it.
-Arthur, -/+, Russel Brand's fun but it ends up being just another movie
-Hanna, +, fantastic use of music and sound
-Your Highness, -/+
-Rio, +, Though nothing amazing, it's stellar animation and fun plot makes it a great family film
-Dylan Dog: Dead of Night, +, while nothing amazing it's a fun film (mostly 'cuz of Brandon Routh). Deft storytelling also helps it not suck.
-Fast Five, +, a high octane action heist film and not much more. But then, it doesn't need to be much more
-Thor, ++, captures the humanity of its characters and delivers a fun adventure.
-Bridesmaids, +, amusing, but not much else to say beyond that.
-Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, +, best parts are whenever Jack and Barbossa are on screen together
-Kung Fu Panda 2, +, beautifully animated but doesn't quite manage to that epic drama/comedy balance of the original.
-X-Men: First Class, ++, beautiful cinematography and editing stand out the most, though the story is as good as the technicalities.
-Super 8***, +++, it's a movie about kids making a movie and them growing up, The alien thing is just a plot device. It's well made, well told, and holy koi, I love this movie.
-Green Lantern, -/+, it tried just... didn't land well.
-Cars 2, +, another quality Pixar movie, just not quite in the same vein as the last few years
-Transformers: Dark of the Moon, ++, best Transformers movie 'cuz it, well, focuses on giant robots beating the ever-loving everything out of other giant robots.
-Horrible Bosses, +/-, funny, but doesn't stand out.
-Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, +, books are still better, but, hey, it's a fitting end.
-Captain America: The First Avenger**, ++, it's an earnest movie about a (super)hero in WWI. It works, and it's fantastic.
-Friends with Benefits, +, fun enough, I suppose
-Another Earthº, +/-
-Cowboys & Aliens, +, fun, but could have been better.
-Crazy, Stupid, Love, +
-The Change-Upº, -, an absolute waste of your time. Such a shame.
-The Help**, ++, a faithful adaption of an excellent book
-30 Minutes or Lessº, +/-, it's fun, just, well, doesn't stick the landing
-Colombiana, +
-Drive, ++, it's an action movie done art house style.
-Restless, ++, cute, fun, quirky, indie romance.
-Killer Elite, +, a good enough action movie that just is
-50/50, +/-, an inability to connect with the main character until the end hampers its potential
-What's Your Number, -
-The Ides of March, +, intriguing political drama that feels a little empty at the end
-Real Steel, ++
-In Time, +
-Like Crazyº, +/-, an almost-decent deconstruction of long-distance relationships
-Tower Heist, +
-Arthur Christmas, +/-
-The Muppets, ++, typical Muppety humor. Nothing wrong with that, at all.
-New Year's Eve, +/-
-Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows, ++
-Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, ++, excellent sequel with fantastic action sequences
-The Adventures of Tintin, ++, wonderfully animated adaption that feels just like the comics
-We Bought a Zoo, ++, I watched it for Scarlett Johansson and was presently surprised by the heartwarming story in it too.
-War Horse, +, it's a good movie just, well, you'd expect more.


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Disclaimer: Many of the movies on the list are rated 'R' and the majority are 'PG-13". I accept no responsibility for the content of the movies you watch at my recommendation.