CSS Christmas Celebrations

Just Tuesday night was the CSS Christmas Celebrations 2006... It was a fun-filled evening!
To check out the photos, do click on the image below to access the album. :p

WAR MOVIES....!!!!

Saturday

Watched 'Flags of Our Fathers' on Saturday. And I'll give it 4 stars out of 5.
Firstly, I think the action sequences were done quite well. Realism level was very high, and the emotions invoked were on a high too.. I mean some people actually cried during the movie! Next, the characterisation of each hero was well-documented. You have:

1. The all-American hero: Snobbish; Attention-grabbing; Boot-licking.
2. The quiet, unassuming hero: Humble; 'Main' protagonist of the film; Selfless in battle.
3. The minority, un-willing hero: Confused; Rejected by the community; Torn.

The only part of the film that didn't go so well was the narration/interview of the veterans. That part was a bit confusing as there wasn't a clear portrayal or explanation of who was who. Moreover, the last 30 minutes of the film was a bit draggy....

Overall, I think the film was meant to be more political commentary than war film per se. It showed us how 'screwed up' politicians can be, how desperate governments can be, and how the state often insidiously uses symbols and images to screw people's minds.

Sunday

Attempted to watch a war-movie marathon at with Mark and Moses at Mark's house yesterday...But we didn't manage to complete the marathon as we enthusiastically planned to do so before the exams! I was kinda not feeling too well, Mark was also a bit tired whilst Moses was also a bit exhausted. I think we all didn't train up before this marathon lah! Haha.... We attributed it to not resting well after our exams...

Anyway, we still managed to watch 4 films yesterday:

1. Saints and Soldiers
2. A Bridge Too Far
3. Army Daze
4. Fahrenheit 9/11

Yeah...I know. It doesn't look very 'war movie marathon'. But we tried to leave the better movies for later in the day, but we didn't manage to last long!! Anyway, the above movies already contributed to about 8+hours of movies... Can we call it a 'war movie sprint/race' instead? Moreover, if I add 'Flags of Our Fathers' to the above list (since I watched it just the previous night)...then I've actually watched a total of 5 military/war-realted movies in a span of 24 hours..! Not bad huh???

A night of freaky encounters....

Ben Stiller running away from a T-Rex skeleton...

Haha.....There's a new movie that's coming out soon (21st Dec to be specific).
It's called 'Night At the Museum' and it's about how a security guard stumbles upon the revelation that museum exhibits come to life during the night....
Ben Stiller stars as the bumbling security guard, and that already kinda sums the movie up...haha, mad-cap comedy and special effects!

The thing I like about this movie is the concept.
As a young kid, I was always kinda interested to find out if statues, mannequins, exhibits etc. came to life during the night when everyone's not around in the shopping centre, museum or whatever public building. Sometimes I had quite nightmarish thoughts about these freaky mannequins who would move around in the night....I mean, look at most mannequins! They look mighty freaky....

Watch the movie! I know I will!

Pearls Before Swine

Really lame and dumb, but funny comic...Check it out.





It's a really amazingly funny and sometimes crude comic!
Full of puns, political satire, and LAME jokes!
Definitely something to pull you out of stress or a wretched day.

FIRST AWAY WIN

Woohoo! Liverpool has recorded their first away win of the season at Wigan...!
Not just any small win, but a 4-0 thumping of Wigan.

And guess what?? They were wearing Red this time...

Anyway, it's great to see Bellamy scoring goals again.

'Unfortunately' in a way, I didn't watch the match. But it's alright. I slept well last night. Woke up well this morning for morning mass. Haven't slept before 11pm in a long time. Really wanted to watch the match, but was too tired. Especially since I didn't manage to sleep well the night before. Only had 4 hours of sleep...crap, I hate morning exam papers. Moreover, I had a paper at 9am! My brain was kinda in a daze during the paper...ah well, at least I did my best.

YOU'LL NEVER WALK ALONE!


Bellamy on the ball.


Bellamy and Kuyt congratulating each other after the game... Both added their names to the score-sheet. Bellamy got 2 goals, while Kuyt got 1.

Flags over Iwo Jima

Everybody probably knows all about the latest war movie around in cinemas: Flag Of Our Fathers. Well, in case people do not know, there's another movie that's coming out next March, and it's also about the Battle of Iwo Jima, but now from the perspective of the Japanese defenders.
No, it's not a coincidence but it's actually a joint-2 movie project by director Clint Eastwood and producer Steven Spielberg.

All the hype's usually from the American perspective, and most Hollywood war movies are usually portrayed from Uncle Sam's troops. Seldom do we get to see the 'enemy's' perspective of the war. I'm sure things were even worse for the Japanese soldiers who had to defend the small island of Iwo Jima from an entire horde of American ships, troops, planes....You name it, they got it. And boy did these Japanese troops GET it. They were bombed, shelled, shot at, grenaded, flamed, grilled, fried, and yet they persisted for about 36 days against the US soldiers...!

With all due respect given to every civilian and soldier who went through WWII, I still think that it really took guts and balls of steel (literally speaking!) to have gone through that HELL. Worse, most of the Japanese troops were supposed to serve their Emperor till their last drop of blood. This meant that surrender was not an option but a great act of dishonor instead! It is absolutely sad to see young lives destroyed for really no apparent reason, except for that of bloody politics! It's really an unfair world, to see diplomats and politicians playing a game of chess with neighbouring countries and states by using their own soldiers as pawns.

Anyway, both movies 'Flags of Our Fathers' and 'Letters From Iwo Jima' will most likely be unconventional war movies. They will be less machismo and glory, but more heart and blood. They will portray the lives and conditions of soldiers (from both sides) who had to fight on like mad while their own politicians stayed behind lavish balls/parties and teak desks.