Elvin Ng vs. Splinter
Ok, thanks to my friend, I have managed to upload these two pictures of what I’ve blogged about. Hehe. They’re even in similar outfits!
Incidentally as I was posting this, The New Paper reported today that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will be opening in Singapore on March 23. In CGI animation, no less. If you’re a child of the 90s, it’s time to get nostalgic. I’m almost embarrassed to say I watched the original movie in 1990. Famous voices include Sarah Michelle Gellar as April (the reporter perpetually clad in yellow) and Zhang Ziyi as Karai, leader of the Foot Ninja Clan, whom the good turtles will be battling against.
Channel 8mare
Watching Channel 8’s Happily Ever After makes me want to laugh at the lame plot, hurl at its sheer stupidity or just switch off the TV altogether. But I sit tight and wait to roll my eyes some more. It even failed the litmus test, also known as my cheesy Korean / Taiwanese drama addict sister. She looked at me after 15 minutes and asked “why are we watching this? Can we pul-leaze change channel?”
Ok, I’ve only caught three episodes during the Chinese New Year period (see what the stress of CNY drives people to do?). The gist of the plot involves a love story between two fairies, Tianjin (Elvin Ng) and Tianying (Joanne Peh), from the Chinese celestial court. They’re somehow on planet earth, in sunny Singapore specifically, and are joined by a bunch of other celestial characters in various human guises.
From what I gather, the star-crossed couple quarrel all the time in between shopping for clothes at Ted Baker. Oh, there’s also the lovely Fiona Xie peering longingly at Elvin Ng; her raspy voice breaking to emote either her button-nose-cute adoration for him or damsel-in-distress act. I can’t tell.
The styling for the actors is horrible. I understand this is a slapstick comedy but is there really a need to make Joanne Peh sport such a bad dye job and crimped hairdo? Her clothes are also kinda ugly. Which doesn’t make sense since she’s supposed to be a hot-shot fashion designer. Just watch evidence below.
This is also the first leading role for Channel 8’s newest hunk on the block. If only Elvin Ng’s acting is half as great as his bod. But since it isn’t, the director had him afflicted with a stripping disorder whenever he gets drunk. So yes, he takes off his shirt and pants and “forces” his two other suitably buff friends played by Zhang Yao Dong and Bryan Wong to follow suit. Why they don’t protest or punch him for his embarrassing exhibitionistic tendency confounds me and the rest of the 204 viewers.
While Elvin Ng is admittedly cute – especially when he doesn’t talk - he unfortunately resembles another TV hero from some angles. Namely, Splinter of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
The rest of the show is pretty crappy too. You get over-acting from even the veterans like Huang Wenyong and San Yow, and unbelievably ridiculous scenes such as one where the Queen Mother (Chen Liping) communicates with some other fairy (Belinda Lee) over the toilet bowl. That’s right, she talks to the water inside the toilet bowl!
When did local TV degenerate to this state? Wait a minute, dumb question.
On a brighter note, our local entertainment might have hope yet. A bunch of NTU Communications students did up some pretty good videos for their final year projects and posted them here. The second video Innocence for Sale deserves an award for intrepid and honest documentary-making. I’m amazed they managed to get such a deep insight on the plight of Batam prostitutes and how our dirty old and young men are fuelling the sex trade there. Channel 8 TV series scriptwriters and producers should probably learn a thing or two.
Half Nelson
It was a pleasant surprise to see Picturehouse filled for this movie. I’ve been a mini fan of Ryan Gosling ever since I watched him Murder by Numbers. And he and co-star Rachel McAdams (whom he’s currently dating) practically elevated the mush-flick The Notebook from dudsville to surprisingly watchable. I even teared! Anyway …
With the buzz surrounding this movie and an Oscar nod for Gosling, I went in with pretty high expectations. The movie took it’s time to play out, with steely, nuanced performances from the cast. What I really liked about Half Nelson is that it never once lapsed into sentimentality. Forget those do-gooder teacher type movies. You know the ones where the teacher talks tough and empowers hopeless inner-city kids before he finally leads them to winning the state ice-hockey championship or spelling contest.
In Half Nelson, it’s the guide, history teacher Dan Dunne (Gosling), who’s lost. Mired in his own disillusionment and failed aspirations, crack and his students are the only things keeping Dan going. He strikes up a friendship with Drey (Shareeka Epps) after she accidentally catches him stoned and shivering in the school bathroom’s stall. But it’s a friendship her family friend Frank (Anthony Mackie) frowns upon, and he tells her that “base heads have no friends.” Incidentally, Frank is no angel himself. He’s the local drug dealer who had a part to play in Drey’s brother’s imprisonment.
It’s these fluid, underlying subtleties that give the film its realism and resonance. As Dan teaches his students how the Hegelian principle of dialectics – opposing forces that push through changes - is the essence of history, we see how it’s also fleshed out in the movie: White man vs black girl, teacher vs student, freedom vs enslavement, right vs wrong, idealism vs. cynicism. No set parameters were drawn for these issues. The characters, their actions and what they represent are at once contradictory and perfectly human.
I’m not hedging my bet that Gosling would be winning this year’s Oscars as I can safely say he has more nominations coming his way. His soulful, tortured Dan anchors this thoughtful, sensitive film. It reminds us the sometimes invisible line between hope and despair is really what we choose to make out of it.
Chinese New Year
Sumiko Tan of the Straits Times Life! wrote an article two Sundays ago about why we might deeply resent this festive holidays. It’s due to, psst, third auntie’s nosey, soon-to-be daughter-in-law showing off her 0.5 carat diamond ring from Lee Hwa. Big, fat deal rock.
In other words, relatives. Like every good Singapore Chinese forced to make nice, I paid utmost attention to the TV without looking too much like an anti-social freak. Here’s what TV land threw up to surprise zombiefied viewers.
1. Channel 5 screening Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, circa 1997, for the nth time. Groovy baby. What is this? A ten year anniversary screening? We’d really appreciate more current movies, even when they’re not sponsored by yet another beer maker/jewellery company/cooking oil brand.
2. News 5 reported nutritionists are worried about our fat consumption this Chinese New Year. If you must, choose crumbly, drier pastries which contain less fat. It’s more love letters, less melting almond cookies. Recommended intake: 3 cookies at each seating. So not happening …
3. NEWater is a bona fide tourist attraction. Something I only found out after catching the latest Zoe Tay MTV – Chinese New Year 2007 Edition. She prances around the fountain of NEWater Visitor Centre singing a chirpy CNY song. If I were the sponsor of her dress, I’d be rather worried she’s splashing around in my highly expensive-looking outfit. Her current bob is rather becoming – takes years off her, though the camera would do well not to zoom in near her eye areas. Anyway, bring your tourists friends here where they can “be immersed in a world of water and especially NEWwater … Come and be edutained!”
4. Pierre Png plugs Alfa Romeo. The TVC is gawd-eeky. Now, Pierre Png is your typical Singaporean wifey’s boy who probably looks more at home in a boring Nissan sedan than an snazzy Italian sports car. If you remember his acting range – I don’t blame you if you don’t – it’s frankly, quite unmemorable saved for his atrocious Mandarin. He lacks the charisma and gravitas to pull off a testimonial-esque advertisement for something that embodies as much passion and sex appeal as a sports car. The cheesy lines didn’t help. “You want excitement, you want freedom, you want to experience life, you want the new Alfa …” Does it make you wanna run out and buy the new Alfa? Not when Pierre Png’s spewing those lines.
The first post
So I actually started a blog. Something I’m not exactly inclined to do, until now. There are multiple motivations, but why bore myself (and imaginary readers) listing them.
Suffice to say, this shall be my rambling blog-stop about whatever tickles my fancy – which invariably involves something related to pop culture. I’m no Perez Hilton wannabe, nor am I some kind of cultural studies critic. Me? Just a talkative girl with a blog.
And I’m a tech-idiot. So fancy-pants functions, icons, links, toolbars and other what-have-yous won’t be surfacing here anytime soon, if at all.
Right on then.
