start of something new

high school musical

Monster House

The house is alive. The house eats people.

I know I've got your attention. Monster House is not for the faint hearted, not if you are a kid and haven't even reached puberty yet.

Monster House hides a really dark secret. So dark, that the owner, Mr Nebbercracker (voice of Steve Buscemi) is adamant that no one should ever step on his lawn. Not even a footstep.

Meanwhile, DJ (Mitchell Musso), who leaves opposite Mr Nebbercracker's haunted sanctuary, is left with an unreliable babysitter Zee (Maggie Gyllenhaal) while his parents go off on a holiday. His friend Chowder (Sam Lerner) plays baskets with him and through this, they learn of the home's dark history.

Apparently, the house is possessed by a restless spirit Constance (Kathleen Turner), who happens to be Nebbercracker's wife. She died 45 years earlier as a result of a freak accident and hence, her spirit has overwhelmed the entire household, including her beloved husband, who, not to the children's knowledge, is trying to protect them from his vengeful sweetheart.

After learning of that frightful truth, DJ and Chowder, together with prep school student Jenny Bennett (Spencer Locke), they go on an adventure to save the entire neighbourhood from the grasp of a restless child-hater spirit. Nebbercracker joins in the gang as well, much to their surprise, as they thought he had died from an earlier incident.

There isn't much to be said about the cast, as seasoned players such as Buscemi, Turner and Gyllenhaal are no strangers to the big flicks. But Musso, Lerner and Locke deserve mention, as they have proven, albeit on a smaller scale, that they have what it takes to make it big.

Perhaps it is too early to heap praises yet, but nonetheless, it is a good headstart for them. As for the effects, I can only be mesmerized by how much technology has advanced beyond my comprehension. I can bet, it would not be very long before animation turns into reality. They don't call it virtual reality for nothing.

Since it is a horror movie catered to kids, I didn't find myself covering my face with a pillow, heart skipping a beat or screaming my lungs out. But I still found space for a little laughter here and there, thanks to the antics of the trio, and Nebbercracker's ability to joke.

Now THAT'S funny.

Click

I never thought I would say this, but Click is a really good movie.

Adam Sandler has never been one of my favourite actors, and probably never will be, but Click, a comedy-cum-drama, is probably one of his best projects ever. Worthy to receive mention and recognition.

Click tells the story of Michael Newman (Sandler) who is dying to get a promotion to senior partner at his company, though his boss Mr Ammer (David Hasselhoff) won't give him the time of day.

Back home, he has a wife Donna (Kate Beckinsale) and his two children Benjamin (Joseph Castanon) and Samantha (Tatum McCann), plus a dog Sundance, with an unusual fetish for the stuffed duck.

He is almost always busy, having no time whatsoever to spend with his family and his own parents (Henry Winkler and Julie Kavner). Coupled with all the unnecessary rigmaroles he has to face each day, Michael decides to get a remote. Not just any remote, but a universal remote. One that would take control his entire life.

With this remote, he is able to fast forward through the happenings he thinks are pointless, so that he can get on with his work and quickly get his promotion. But more often than not, he finds himself fast forwarding too much, pausing too much, and even doing too much of rewinding that he does not realise the things he is missing. The ones that really matter most.

Before he knows it, age has caught up with him. And everything else that comes with it. You can say life has just flown by so quickly for him. But there's a little surprise in the end, something that really caught me off guard. Big time.

The moral of the story is, life is not a drama series. It is even farther from watching a DVD, pausing and playing, even fast forwarding when you feel like skipping something. This movie reinforces the fact the life can just whiz by and you don't even know it. We have to understand the life is both made up of the fond memories and also the bad things we wished never had to happen.

Sandler perfectly epitomised the typical workaholic who never had time for his family. He was center stage most of the time, although Christopher Walken's Morty walked him through a big part of his life. But as always, there was no lack of humour. It takes a lot of guts for a guy like Sandler to make a fool of himself for our viewing pleasure.

The rest of the characters could have been, perhaps, accentuated a bit more. But generally, writers Steve Koren and Mark O'Keefe, through their own experiences, captured the classic scenario, and even added a few extra touches for a bittersweet production.

One good watch for the family, aside from the little tinge of sleaziness that is always a feature in Adam Sandler movies. What would an Adam Sandler movie be if that was left out? But be warned, Click is not in the same league as Anger Management, 50 First Dates, The Waterboy or The Wedding Singer.

So, be ready for a tearsome experience. Perhaps, it could be your long overdue wake-up call. Hey, it is your life. You live the life you choose, remember?

High School Musical

The long-awaited movie of the year has finally made it onto our screens. Well, at least it made its premiere on Disney Channel, with an encore screening the week after. VERY, VERY hot response.

High School Musical revolves around two teenagers from totally different worlds. Troy Bolton (Zac Efron) is the high school jock and the basketball team captain while Gabriella Montez (Vanessa Anne Hudgens) is the beautiful high school nerd (hey, who said nerds had to wear spectacles?)

Both discover one common love for music while holidaying with their families at a snow lodge. In for more surprises? They also discover that they both go to the same school at East High!

Along the way, in auditioning for the school's winter musical, under the tutelage of the most colourful Ms Darbus (Alyson Reed), two siblings (Ashley Tisdale and Lucas Grabeel) who have been the school's drama queen and king, will stop at nothing to prevent Troy and Gabriella from taking part in the musical.

Their best mates, Chad and Taylor (Corbin Bleu and Monique Coleman) will also try to put Troy and Gabriella in their place and in the process letting them know where they TRULY belong.

It is a journey of discovery for Troy and Gabriella, who will try to break free from the stereotypes that try to hold them down and tear them apart. And in the way they know best, they sing. Throughout the movie, there will be a blend of different genres of music, suited to everyone, not just tweenagers or teenagers. Music lovers are definitely in for a fantastic treat.

Director Kenny Ortega, famous for his Broadway exploits, brings the high school drama to life with a great cast of young actors. Doubling up as the choreographer, he projects, through the cast, very hip and definitely happening, not to mention sleek, dance moves.

High School Musical is definitely one hot movie to watch. Not only because of the great chart-topping tunes such as Start of Something New and Breaking Free, but also the lessons to be learned.

And there's more memorabilia: the DVD, soundtrack and junior novels are now in stores. This not a promotional piece, but really, this is one movie you would not want to miss!

Go Wildcats! Get'cha head in the game!

Stormbreaker

When you are only 14, would you let everything go, become a spy and answer the call to save the world?

That was the question posed to Alex Rider (Alex Pettyfer) in the movie based on the novel by Anthony Horowitz, Stormbreaker, when his uncle, Ian Rider (Ewan MacGregor) dies in the line of spying.

Little did young Alex know that all the extreme sports he has been doing with his uncle was a training for a bigger destiny, that is, saving the world from a social misfit named Darrius Sayle (Bill Nighy), who is on the verge of releasing a new computer software called, surprise surprise, Stormbreaker.

Beware. The Stormbreaker is not just any software. It is bound to release a virus that could kill millions of people, mostly schoolchildren.

Alex cuts across as any of your next door neighbour's kid. His parents have passed away; he knows nothing of them. His uncle Ian, is always away and hence, the only person who actually takes care of him is the housekeeper, Jack Starbright (Alicia Silverstone).

But he holds a black belt in karate. That's why you should brace yourselves, as Stormbreaker will provide non-stop action; more so, with Donnie Yen as the martial arts choreographer. Watch out for some sleek moves.

Humour is also not in short supply as the less prominent characters provide several funny scenes, e.g. Nighy's henchwoman, Nadia Vole (Missi Pyle), who sounds like a German and looks like a mannequin come to life. Do not miss her battle with Silverstone. Period.

Aside from MacGregor and Silverstone, another big name in this movie is Andy Serkis, who plays the role of Sayle's right-hand man, Mr Grin. Known better for his exploits in The Lord of The Rings trilogy, his character is nothing like his name. His features make him the ideal person for a villaineous role. But it isn't all just dark.

Pettyfer and Sarah Bolger (Sabina Pleasure) are young upstarts in this movie, and, in combining with the more established players in the field, produce a film worthy of a four-star rating. Something I did not quite expect, at least because I didn't know what Stormbreaker was about. Call it, impulsive viewing.

But don't just take my word for it. Go watch it. Satisfaction guaranteed.

I Not Stupid Too

I Not Stupid Too (INST) is the sequel to the initial film, I Not Stupid. I didn't get to watch it (due to my biased perception towards Asian films), but my cousin Samantha said the second one was better. I wouldn't know for sure, but I sure know INST is a good watch, even for those who say movies aren't their cup of tea.

INST tells the tale of three boys, of whom two are brothers Tom (Shawn Lee) and Jerry (Ashley Leong). The pun, if anything, is definitely intended as Tom is spot on as the average high school kid with good looks and a westernised mentality (so cool, so lame and what not), while his younger brother is as scrawny as anything. The third boy happens to be his good friend and classmate, Cheng Cai (Joshua Ang).

They are worlds apart in terms of their background; while Tom and Jerry are children of career-minded parents and are rather well-to-do, Tom's classmate is the son of an ex-convict, who is uneducated yet is determined to let his son have what he missed out.

The three boys go through what every other kid goes through (well, almost), having parents who aren't really there for them, yet when they do spend time together, only to have the parents nagging non-stop, say, at the breakfast table.

In school, they do not fare very well in their studies and have teachers who are constantly at their necks with all the pep talk.

With all the stress a typical Singaporean kid faces, and, to top it all off, parents who are so absorbed in their work and not being there for them, you tell me they're not going to resort to looking elsewhere?

Tom retreats into the comfort of his blog, where he expresses himself, all raw and blunt. Jerry, meanwhile, is trying to persuade his parents to attend his school play, but to no avail. To make matters worst, he is being picked on in school. Aha, don't forget the girl.

While Jerry's experience may be mild, Tom and his friend go through a much different phase. A phase that could change their lives forever, if they take a wrong turn. AND, if their parents, as well as their teachers, don't intervene soon enough.

The movie shoots home as realistic as a heart attack. The plots are woven together nicely; not one plot lasts too long for the viewer to take in. Everything is interconnected. It is injected with a sense of humour; yet at times, you are moved to tears. So poignant and touching, it gives a lasting impression, long after you've seen the last of the credits.

A good watch, I would say, for the family, for friends, for schoolbound kids; even the elderly would enjoy a good movie such as this. The movie incorporates almost everyone in the society, from the youngest kid, to the granny with a sporting behaviour. Hey, I watched this with my mum.

Jack Neo has hit the nail on the head, in exposing the turmoils and the blues of a high school kid without offending anyone in particular.

Give yourselves a pat on the back, if you have watched INST. If you haven't, get on your paces and go find one. I promise, you WILL be entertained and your heart will be moved.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe

“The wardrobe will open. The Witch will rise. The lion will reign”. Yes, C. S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe has finally been brought to life on the silver screen.

Written in 1950, Narnia chronicles the adventures of the Pevensie siblings, namely Peter (William Moseley), Susan (Anna Popplewell), Edmund (Skandar Keynes) and Lucy (Georgie Henley), who travel through a wardrobe into the magical land of Narnia, where they learn of their destiny to free it with the guidance of a respected lion messiah, Aslan (voice of Liam Neeson).

Throughout their journey, the Turkish delight-hungry Edmund will learn that it pays not to talk to strangers, Peter his leadership skills and Susan to not be so judgemental and such a know-it-all.

Narnia is the first in a series of seven books written by Lewis. It teaches you the true meaning of sacrifice and forgiveness (a poignant scene involving Aslan and the White Witch), and also its element of humours (the talking beavers, with the voices of Ray Winstone and Dawn French).

The four very new actors, in their debut film, have done well. Combined with more seasoned players such as Neeson, Swinton and Everett (voice of Fox), Narnia is a great delight to watch.

Narnia is undoubtedly the next biggest film production of its kind after the Lord of The Rings (LOTR) trilogy, with its filming from the springy New Zealand countryside to the snowy mountains of the Czech Republic. But the best part is yet to come.

It blows you away with the combination of special effects companies such as Industrial Light and Magic (George Lucas’), K.N.B. EFX Group Inc (special makeup and creature effects) and Weta Workshop (also involved in the production of King Kong).

Watch out for the big battle at the end, as talking beavers, fauns, centaurs, dwarfs and many more will fight the battle for Narnia.

One warning though. You might want to put away any tendency to compare Adamson’s production to that of Peter Jackson in the LOTR trilogy. Adamson has put together a seemingly impossible feat and he should be given due credit for a job well done, or in this sense, a film well made.

The battle for Narnia has begun.