Showing posts with label TV ate my life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label TV ate my life. Show all posts

Saturday, March 9, 2013

Detachment

Most films about the teaching profession are very positive. A forceful and charismatic teachers lands in a (usually) lousy (inner city, no doubt) school with a class filled with delinquents, lazy jocks, the misunderstood creative outcast, the nerds and the rest of the usual cast of student "archetypes", at least by way of Hollywood scriptwriting. To Sir, With Love is perhaps the most iconic of redemption-of-students-by-saviour-teacher, the formula of which was replicated by films like Stand and Deliver and Dangerous Minds (based on true stories, yeah okay).


I bet there wasn't a dry eye in the cinema by the closing credits.

And then you have Dead Poet Society and the female copycat version Mona Lisa Smile where the teacher inspires the students to think outside the box and abandon the shackles put upon them by the hidebound society that cossets their privileged arses. While most of these movies share a running theme that is mocked by the most cynical as mawkish sentimentality, they do underline an important aspect about the teaching profession: teachers are potential cult leaders.

I'm just kidding.

(the rest is under cut for extreme movie spoilers)

Monday, January 16, 2012

On house husbands and local drama

Last night I did something that I have not done in a very long time.

I sat down and watched a Malay telemovie from the beginning till the end.

Not just that, I actually shut my mouth and refrained from criticising the acting / plot / storyline / etc.

Mr Labuci (Mr Sequins) was aired over the Cerekarama slot on TV3, told the story of Malique who quit his job to become a house husband. In the beginning, his wife, Zulaikha, was supportive of his decision. His good buddy, Alfi, was initially skeptical of his decision, ended up using his presence at home as a hang out to escape the pressures from working for his own father.

What first struck me about the movie was how natural the actors were. If you follow any of the Malay dramas, you will note how over/under acting are usually the norm; with unconvincing melodrama tossed in for good measure. I like how the dialogue did not seem forced and was delivered in a natural manner. Azhan Rani, the lead actor, did an excellent job conveying his role as husband/father/son/friend. The delightful young actress portraying the daughter is also refreshing and appear spontaneous in all her scenes. Rozita Che Wan did a decent job, but I wouldn't be surprised if many viewers were distracted by not the glitter on her outfits, but rather how well they fit her enviably hourglass figure.

The storyline was also a nice surprise, the treatment of the issue of how a man deals with the potentially emasculating job loss and how he developed his passion for sewing and beading (hence, the title of the film) was done in a sensitive AND sensible manner. I liked how Malique dealt with his mother's nagging regarding his lack of job and all the other role reversal that he played; however, I felt the confrontation with his wife when her true feelings about the situation came to fore and the resolution at the end was a tad too slick, but I accept that he just may be the rare breed of men who actually practices the kindness that was practiced by the Rasulullah SAW.

All in all, a nice weekend surprise and I wouldn't mind looking out for more shows with Azhan Rani in it.

Monday, May 16, 2011

Way to destroy one's childhood memories ... :'(

How could GQ desecrate Voltron thusly???!




Not to mention that such paper dolls used to be a particular obsession of mine. They were cheap and came in amazing variety from just RM 0.20 to RM 0.50 per set at your local friendly stationery shop. Since the money to get toys (like Barbie dolls) were routed to feed my reading obsession, these paper dolls were my primary toy.

Darn you, Lady Gaga!

*shakes fist*

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Walking down memory lane

When I was a kid, terrestrial TV was only on for 12-hours a day and the hours of 4 pm to 6 pm were when they screen the stuff for kids like Sesame Street, The Electric Company and cartoons. The closest I got to fandom obsession (i.e. feverish scribblings of Mary Sue-inserted fanfics) were the anime that they screened like Tosho Daimos, Voltron and Sabre Rider and the Star Sheriffs in particular.

Back then, the Filem Negara Malaysia made a number of cartoons based on Malay folklore and Aesop's fables to be screened in the late afternoon. The animations were pretty well crafted, although the vocal dramatisation left much to be desired. It also spawned one of the favourite cautionary tagline of my schooldays: "Jangan, Monyet!" (Literally: Don't do it, Monkey!)

Ah, what fond memories ...





Wednesday, December 8, 2010

If ever you need to fix the USS Enterprise ...

... there are blueprints. Yup, even for imaginary space vehicles. Geeks of the world, unite! (click to enlarge)







 But the most awesome of all ...




Engage warp speed, Number Two!

Ganked from ROFLRazzi.

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Grading on a transient loop

A number of my friends are now neck-deep in marking examination scripts. It is hoped that they are not grading the kids a la Dick Solomon.



However, judging from the grumblings that I've heard, it is quite likely that they wish they could.

Monday, June 14, 2010

The universe is out to screw you when ...

Your attempt to save the universe results in the erasure of your existence by a Silurian and everybody (including your fiancee!) forgets you.

Except for The Doctor.

It must be a tragedy but yet I am consumed by the desire to giggle madly.

And I'm not even a fan of the show.

Monday, October 12, 2009

Food ambassador

You gotta love Jamie Oliver. This is a guy who doesn't accept limitations and goes out to do what he feels is right. He overcame dyslexia and hyperactivity to become one of the world's most famous proponent of good food for everybody. Watching him cook is like watching a controlled whirlwind; but instead of destruction, he left lovely and delicious gustatory creation in his wake.

On his crusade to teach the world that you can cook and eat well, healthy and cheap, Jamie has embarked on a new journey: to teach super-size-this America to eat right.

Good luck, Jamie!

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Your Body is a Wonderland

I love that song. About the only John Myer song that I could listen to with any kind of regularity; sweet without being cloying, cajoling and worshipful with a dash of wonderment thrown in.

Your body is a temple; worship it. We all know that. Eat properly, get enough sleep, drink plenty of water, exercise etc. How many of us actually do all that? Well, certainly I don't join that rank of the population. Those who can afford it take short cuts via plastic surgery. A little nip here, a tuck there and voila! You're a new person.

It's easy to snicker about people who chose this route. But take a look at the clip from Nip/Tuck below. I guess the grey areas are larger than I thought.



What think you now?