Babel-Forlorn and Disturbing

Babel is an engrossing movie showcasing the pains, trials and tribulations of human relationships. A stray bullet fired in Morocco set the mood as it ricocheted through 4 countries bringing tragedy and impacting into the lives of persons related with that event.

Well directed and edited, Babel delves into the issue of a husband and wife and their two children. While holidaying in Morocco, Susan Jones was accidentally shot and a simple issue of getting her to a hospital became an international issue when politics comes into play. Meanwhile, a Mexican maid minding their children got on the wrong side of immigration law because she brought the Joneses children over to Mexico to attend her son’s wedding and was subsequently deported.

As for the Japanese family, it is just incidental that the gun that was used in the shooting once belong to that Japanese hunter who gave it as a gift to his Moroccan guide. The story of Chieko, the hunter's deaf daughter showcase how difficult it was to live and grow in a hearing world especially after the suicide of her mother. Somehow unrelated, I thought.

Because it is in the same genre as Crash, Syriana and The Constant Gardener, Babel failed to win the hearts of the movie community this time around and only Gustavo Santaolalla won an Academy Award for his hauntingly beautiful guitar strains on the film’s music score.

Acting was excellent. Good movie. Makes one think long and deep.

Quote of the Day:

“In giving advice seek to help, not to please, your friend.”Solon

Heartsong

The Queen

Just saw “The Queen.”

Now I know why the whole world fell in love with Dame Helen Mirren for her stunning acting as Queen Elizabeth II. Through her, you can see and feel the painful ordeal of those seven days following the death of Lady Diana. Helen Mirren gives us more than a glimpse into the hermetic heart of a living queen. Not a single false note, not a single cheap shot. A performance that is as poignant as it is entertaining. Not to be left unmentioned is Michael Sheen as the delectable Tony Blair and Helen McCrory as the adorable Cherie Blair.

The film attempted to accurately re-enact the atmosphere of British society at the time supported with real television reportage. The moments of subtle humour particularly between Blair and the Queen compensated for the now too obvious and well-known post-events of Diana’s death.

I particularly liked the part when Blair and the Queen met two months on the aftermath of Diana’s funeral and their open frankness and chattiness which then lead to a better and much open relationship between the Crown and the Labour Government.

Many thanks to Stephen Frears for bringing “The Queen” to us.

Quote of the Day:

"Before marriage, a man declares that he would lay down his life to serve you; after marriage, he won’t even lay down the newspaper to talk to you." Helen Rowland

Heartsong

300-A Copycat of Gladiator?

The more I think back, the more I am inclined to think that 300 somehow resemble Gladiator. Look at the wheat field scene showing the wife and the child, forlornly awaiting the return of the protagonist. How familiar!

Yes, the myth and legendary standoff at the Pass of Thermopylae is classic-the daring do of the 300 Spartans that galvanized the Greeks to stand up against Xerxes and saved the motherland. No one expect much of a story-line from a movie such as this.

The blood and gore is reminiscent of Braveheart, Apocalypto and Gladiator except it comes in larger dosage and the whole movie is just action, action and action. But mind you, the gore and blood-letting gets downright boring after the second clash with the Persians.

The Council scene where the Queen implored the members to send troops to Thermopylae just does not jive with the fast tempo of the action and is a sheer waste of time. The love-making scene is also very hard and artificial which we could do without as well.

Good graphics.

Quote of the Day:

“In the business world, every one is paid in two coins: cash and experience. Take the experience first; the cash will come later.”

Harold Geneen

Heartsong

The Results Are In!

I guess I might as well post the entire list of winners of the 79th Academy Awards here.


Best Motion Picture: The Departed
Actor: Forest Whitaker
Actress: Helen Mirren
Supporting Actor: Alan Arkin
Supporting Actress: Jennifer Hudson
Director : Martin Scorsese
Foreign Language Film: The Lives of Others (Germany)
Original Screenplay: Michael Arndt: Little Miss Sunshine
Adapted Screenplay: William Moynahan : The Departed
Cinematography:Pan's Labyrinth
Original Score: Babel
Visual Effect:Pirates of the Caribbean:Dead Man's Chest
Film Editing: The Departed
Sound Mixing: The Dreamgirls
Sound Editing: Letters from Iwo Jima
Costume Design: Marie Antoinette
Original Song: I Need to Wake Up from An Inconvenient Truth
Make Up: Pan's Labyrinth
Live Action Story: West Bank Story
Animated Feature: Happy Feet
Animated Short: The Danish Poet
Documentary Feature: An Inconvenient Truth
Documentary Short: The Blood of Yingzhou District

So there you have it. Good to have this list to refer to from time to time. A sort of easy reference movie archive!

Quote of the Day:

“If at first you don't succeed, do it like your mother told you.” Unknown

Heartsong

The 79^th Academy Awards – Scorsese Made It!

So the 79th. Academy Awards Event is over.

The 64,000 dollar question has also been answered. Martin Scorsese finally got his hands on the statuette as Best Director, after being passed over for uncountable times. In fact, everyone was wondering whether the Academy will do the right thing this time around. To top it all, Scorsese 's movie, The Departed got the Best Film Award. It must really be a sweet double victory for this doyen of Hollywood after these agonizing years of "bad luck".

As expected, Helen Mirren got her Best Actress Award and she proffered her salutations to the Queen for that. As for the Best Actor award, I was actually rooting for Leonardo DiCarprio after seeing his fine acting in The Aviator and in The Departed but Forest Whitaker must have done something "magical" as Edi Amin Dada in The Last King of Scotland to better him. I think they gave Alan Arkin the Best Supporting actor for old times sake. His role as a cantankerous cocaine sniffer in the runaway dark horse of a movie called Little Miss Sunshine was funny though.

Giving the Best Supporting Actress to newcomer Jennifer Hudson for her role in The Dreamgirls was the best decision the Academy has made in a long time. What she lost in American Idol, she got it back via the movies. I was rooting for her to win and was relieved that she won. Who says there is no God?

Ellen Degeneres was the host to the 79th Academy Awards. I think she really prepared for it. Not bad as she is only the second woman to host this event after Whoopi Goldberg.

I hope to see Leonardo DiCarprio win the Best Actor Academy Award next year. He really deserves it this year but then the competition was too keen. Also, they never did give a damn chance to the frail-looking Peter O’ Toole. Guess there is not many good years left in him and as such, he should just say que sera sera and get used to his honorary Oscar.

Quote of the Day

“Knowledge comes, but wisdom lingers.” Alfred Lord Tennyson

Heartsong

Lusty, luscious Liz!

Certainly one of the most beautiful women in the world!

Elizabeth Hurley came into public prominence by gracing the glossy pages of woman magazines for Estee Lauder products. And then, as every one knows, she was also the long suffering female companion of Britain’s naughty bachelor boy, Hugh Grant. Whatever it was, Liz continues to make headlines; some good and some bad. This March she will be married to a textile heir from India.

Elizabeth Hurley got a head-start when she won a “Face of the Year" competition at a local newspaper in the late 1980s. The prize was a contract was a London modeling agency. She capitalized on this. She then clinched a contract to be the spokesperson for Estee Lauder and the rest is supermodel history. As she became famous, she also started acting. The most memorable roles are in the remake Bedazzled as Lust and in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery. I thought she was bewitchingly beautiful as Lust though I have to say Raquel is still better in the original.

As with most actresses, Liz’s romantic life has its fair share of ups and downs. After she ended her long relationship with Hugh Grant, she got involved with a producer Stephen Bing and had his love son. Today she is with an Indian textile heir, Arun Nayar. She has adopted Hinduism and will marry Arun on March 3 this year.

What can we say? Congratulations, Liz and hope to see you in the new film version of Get Smart soon.

Quote of the Day:

“A hug is a great gift - one size fits all, and it's easy to exchange.” Unknown

Heartsong

A Timeless Beauty

I first laid eyes on Raquel Welch in Life Magazine in a revealing bikini showing off her natural attributes! Then there was another shot of her standing statuesquely behind Patrick Curtis, the man who was to introduce her to moviedom and whom she later married in Paris; issuing a series of provocative wedding night photos as publicity.

Some may call her the archetypal manufactured sex symbol but to me she is beauty au naturele. A beguiling look-you-in-the-eye nymph, Raquel was the iconic sex symbol of the 1960s and the early '70s. My brother was certainly enamoured by her beauty at first sight!

This year Raquel turns 64. No bother because she continues to appeal to men as testified through the countless "Most Sexiest Women" lists for the last four decades including Playboy!

Raquel, of mixed Bolivian ancestry, first appeared in movies in the mid-60s after working as a waitress and model. Her highlights included being clad in the unforgettable fur-bikini in One Million Years BC and in that heavenly hot white wetsuit in Fantastic Voyage. You will certainly be dazzle with her role as Lust in the original Bedazzled. To showcase the sexy kitten image, Raquel astounded audience by cavorting in the nude with Jim Brown in 100 Rifles. Then comes a cowboy revenge movie, "Bandolero!" The downside was obviously the ill-fated Myra Breckenridge in the 1970's. However, all is not lost. She is no eye candy, this Raquelita!; for she won the Golden Globe for Best Actress for her work in The Three Musketeers, confirming that she can be one serious actress!

Is there life after Hollywood for this statuesque stunner? She went into work-out videos-the most famous being Raquel's Total Beauty and Fitness Program in the 1980s. She then ventured into wigs and skin-care products. In 2002, she returned to the entertainment business with a role in "American Family," the first all-Latino drama series and the first original prime-time American episodic drama on PBS in decades.

Her famous comments included:

On her ex-husband:

"I couldn't stand that my husband was being unfaithful. I am Raquel Welch -- understand?"

On her role as a sex symbol:

"Being a sex symbol was rather like being a convict."

On being a mother:

"I was not a classic mother. But my kids were never palmed off to boarding school. So, I didn't bake cookies. You can buy cookies, but you can't buy love."

What a woman!

Raquel Welch continues to maintain her natural beauty attributes till this day. You can see this in Legally Blonde and in the television series American Family. Every one falls in love with Raquel Welch. Except for fools, no one falls out though!

Quote of the Day:

“Curve: The loveliest distance between two points”. Mae West

Heartsong

Forever Farrah!

Today, she is but a shadow of what she was in her heyday. Some may even say she is hideous looking. The poor girl has undergone many things in her life; a failed marriage, broken relationships and sickness. Thank God, she came through. It was great news to hear that Farrah has just licked colon cancer and I think the worse is over for her.

The goddess of the 1970’s and every college boy’s pin-up girl, Farrah is most memorable in her red bikini showing an unbridled mane of blonde hair and a wide sunshiny smile. In fact that hair-style sparked off a hair styling craze world-wide. Every girl in town wanted a Farrah Fawcett hairstyle. Remember the same thing happened in the 1980s when Lady Diana captured the world’s adoration with her hairstyle.

For those in the fifties, she is the Charlie’s Angel-Jill Monroe. All the other angels cannot hold a candle to her. She just lights up our idiot boxes when she comes on! She was even nominated for a Golden Globe for that role!

A beautiful young girl, Farrah was named the "Most Beautiful Student" by her classmates while in school in Corpus Christi, Texas. After graduation, in the fall of 1965, she attended The University of Texas majoring in Arts. Farrah then left her hometown and moved to California to pursue a career as a model. She later added acting to her endeavors, appearing in I Dreamed of Jeannie, Logan’s Run and Charlie’s Angels.

In Hollywood, she fell in love with Lee Majors and after five years of courtship, married him. But love has not been kind to Farrah. The marriage did not work out and they were divorced. She was then involved with pretty boy, Ryan O’ Neal and had a son by him. There were a few broken relationships after that as well. So who says beautiful stars are happy?

Farrah appeared twice in Playboy and those issues sold like hot cakes.

To me Farrah will always be the youthful and beautiful Jill Monroe in my mind’s eye. She will never grow old. Her image will be that lively and full-of-fun Jill-captured and immortalized in time.

Quote of the Day:

“I've fallen in love many times… always with you.” Unknown

Heartsong

Moore is More!

I have just watched A Man of all Seasons on DVD. I missed it the first time it did the circuit as I was too young or opportunity did not come my way then. All is not lost. Despite these past 40 years, the movie continues to be crisp and engrossing and the dialogue, editing and acting is so good that it certainly deserves the cluster of Academy Awards it won including Best Picture for the year 1966.

The story is simple-about a man who stuck to his principles when everyone else has abandoned theirs for convenience, power, wealth, and the status quo. Expediency rather than principles dictated the actions of the courtiers and their families. It is the same today.

Sir Thomas Moore. The Lord Chancellor went against the King by not supporting his marriage to Anne Boleyn. The King’s fears drove him to have Moore imprisoned, tried in a kangaroo court of sort and finally had him beheaded in the Tower of London. The open court scene at the end was spell-binding especially Moore’s rebuttals!

In this movie, we saw the abject and low-down treachery of Cromwell, Wosley and Richard Rich – all for runaway ambition, gross corruption and transient power. Moore’s death was later to be followed by Cromwell’s execution for treason. As if by divine intervention, sex-crazed Henry VIII had to die from the dreaded syphilis!

The movie is well paced and is entertaining enough. Do see it some time.

Quote of the Day:

“It is the spirit and not the form of law that keeps justice alive.” Earl Warren

Heartsong

All the King's Men

A remake of a 1949 movie of the same name, this movie version, stayed close to the original.

Based on a bestseller, All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren, focuses on the lives of Willie Stark, an upstart farm boy who rises through sheer force of will to become Governor of Louisiana during the 1930s, and Jack Burden a journalist who helped Willie blackmail and control his enemies. The storyline mimics the politician Huey Long, who served Louisiana as both Governor and Senator from 1928 until his death in 1935.

The main theme of the movie is the question of political power and moral corruption. To Willie Stack, his moral philosophy is that everyone and everything is bad, and that moral action involves making goodness out of the badness.

Willie Stark uses and abuses everyone in his life while continuing to provide for his downtrodden constituents. In his ambitious quest to win the love and respect of his people, Willie loses his soul and the respect of those closest to him. And like Huey Long, he ultimately meets his demise in a most tragic fashion.

The movie is well narrated and edited and the dialogue is pretty catchy. Sean Penn’s Willie Stack, contrary to unwarranted criticism, is convincing.

Once again, Sean Penn took on his role with manic energy, transforming himself completely into a fascinating character. He is dynamic as the politico with his ranting and raving. His Machiavellian manipulator side was played with furious energy and sheer gusto.

Jude Law played a blue-blood “pretty boy” journalist. A burnt idealist, he was quietly supportive in his role as the second lead. As a confidante of Stack, Jude Law’s Jack Burden witnessed the effects of power and compromise on "All the King's Men".

However,there is some disconnect in the movie for it never did tell what wrong Willie had committed to cause impeachment proceedings to be leveled at him as Governor. Also, the relationship between Anne Stanton (the character played by Kate Winslet) and Jack was not well developed to provide useful insight into the passion of their love.

Overall, it's a good looking production steeped in place and period. The movie paces itself very well. I enjoyed it especially the witty dialogue.

For those who enjoyed Casablanca and other movies of that genre,they should enjoy this movie.

Quote of the Day:

“There is only one happiness in life, to love and be loved.” George Sand

Heartsong

Woman On Top

Fetching and sexy, Penelope Cruz exudes the same sultry appeal as the legendary Sophia Loren. That pair of seductive eyes and luscious lips can melt any man’s heart.

Nicknamed the Madonna of Madrid, Penelope Cruz is the most famous Latino actress to grace our silver screen. This Spanish enchantress has left her competitors way behind. I think Salma Hayek and Jennifer Lopez are way past their prime. Paz Vega is just a fresh face. Except for her portrayal in Sex and Lucia, Vega has not shown any break-out.

Penelope first gained recognition after acting in the film, "Belle époque” but it was the erotic film, Jamon Jamon that transformed her into a national fantasy.

I first saw Penelope Cruz in a major role in Woman on Top and fell in love with her. She was spontaneous in her acting, had an attractive bubbly nature and brings with her a wonderful screen presence. She showed a mysterious side in All the Pretty Horses and was coy and scintillating in Blow.

However, her performance was below par in Vanilla Sky (also the Spanish version, Open Your Eyes) and Captain Corelli’s Mandolin. I believe the poor scripts had something to do with this. Volver was good but a bit draggy with it's many- layered twists and turns. As usual, Cruz cruised along with her naturally attractive bubbly self.

In her private life, strangely, Penelope Cruz continues to show a consistent patent weakness of involving herself romantically with most of her co-stars - Tom Cruise, Matthew McConaughey, Matt Damon, Johnny Depp and Nicholas Cage.

Be that as it may, I think Penelope Cruz will join the fabulous Nicole Kidman in the big league of Hollywood as she has the verve and skill to up the ante on the silver screen. If things go right, she may just win herself an academy award!

Quote of the Day:

“Friendship occupies your mind. Love occupies your soul.” Author Unknown

Heartsong

An Anatomy of a Sexual Relationship

Take a budding actor and a fresh face model. Give them three days to get acquainted. To ensure ‘real sexual performance’, ensure they do not communicate once filming starts until it ends. So what was performed on screen is genuine raw sexual craving, passion plus action. Sex at the apex! Finally, hyped up the film with pulsating music and hypnotic pacing. And viola! there you have it – a naughty peep show -9 Songs. Cinematic brilliance!

After 69 minutes of viewing, I must say that 9 Songs has moved up the ratchet at least a notch higher. Like the proverbial frog being slowly cooked in a hotpot, we are made to ‘acclimatize’ pleasurably to sex voyeurism in the cinema. While there were other less successful attempts at this, 9 Songs is by far the most explicit.

Winterbottom has actually succeeded in filming the penultimate movie of cinematic voyeurism showcasing real, uncensored sex between its lead actors. For many, it should be a turn-on. Interspersing 9 un-simulated sex scenes with 9 live-concert songs, Winterbottom’s avant-garde attempt to persuade us to accept that ‘sex is beautiful’ has brought on both bouquets and brickbats.

Except for a few scenes showing the beauty of the icy Artic waste, most of the scenes were confined to the bedroom and a nightclub showcasing various bands in action.

Most found 9 Songs much akin to watching a long music video laced with toned down “hard-core pornography’. There is little dialogue; more like sex poetry in motion - a lovely real snapshot of a brief encounter between Matt and Lisa. The sex becomes kinkier as the movie progresses.

A simple storyline. After meeting at a rock concert, the lead actors ended up in bed. Together, over a period of several months, they pursue a mutual sexual passion whose inevitable stages are familiar to anyone who's ever been in love. Quietly fascinating yet moving; it is direct, touching and lovely to watch.

Those who find traditional porn too artificial should be pleased with the treatment of sex in 9 Songs. Here, Winterbottom attempts to arouse the viewers but the scenes are too brief to be satisfying.

So, is it bouquet or brickbat for 9 Songs?

I must salute Winterbottom’s daring experimentation at cinematic voyeurism. I think he has succeeded where Breathless and Last Tango in Paris has failed. Bouquets to him!

Quote of the Day:

“Life without love is like a tree without blossom and fruit.” Khalil Gibra

Heartsong

Glamour Puss on the Roost

Red-haired Nicole Kidman, a half-bred Scot, now rules the roost. From television and mini-series, she has now taken the coveted position as the highest paid actress in Hollywood, surpassing the likes of Julia Roberts and Reese Witherspoon.

She was spotlighted when she played critical roles beginning with the suspenseful thriller, Dead Calm. Then she co-starred with Tom Cruise in Days of Thunder. She continued partnering Cruise in Far and Away, a silly yarn about Irish immigrants grabbing land in America. In Batman Forever, Nicole Kidman first took the glitzy label as star material.

To Die For gave her the first Golden Globe.

Nicole was a brazen hussy of an actress. She was an artist through and through.She knew no fear nor shame.

She bared all in Billy Bathgate, Eyes Wide Shut and in Cold Mountain. On stage, she went completely nude in the faintly lighted Blue Room. Then she enamoured the whole world with her role as the lovely courtesan, Satine in Moulin Rouge, dying tragically in the end. The world's runaway craving for Nicole Kidman started and they gave her continuing support in the film; The Others.

There were other controversial films besides Eyes Wide Shut. One of them was Birth, a film that explored the reincarnation of the human soul. The bath tub scene with a naked young boy became the talk of the town.

Kidman won the Academy Award in 2002 for her role in The Hours. It seems that the Academy regretted not giving her the award a year earlier for Moulin Rouge and was definitely making amends here as she hardly acted in The Hours movie, behaving morosely all the time like some autistic savant.

Except for Cold Mountain, Nicole has not been making any great movies lately. Dogsville was a dumb dog of a art-house movie. The Stepford Wives was one rotten remake .The best-be-forgotten Bewitched came next; capitalizing on Nicole’s looks as she uncannily resembled Elizabeth Montgomery. The Interpreter lacks punch while The Human Stain was unexciting, dark and brooding.

Inspite of this long hiatus, there may yet be a silver lining for Nicole Kidman. She lent her voice to Norma Jean in Happy Feet. She starred in Fur and will next appear in Wong Kar Wai’s Lady from Shanghai. Soon, she will be reunited with Buzz Luhrmann in an Australian movie.

Nicole Kidman did some directing as well as singing. The movie In the Cut was simply dreadful but singing Something Stupid with Robbie Williams was purrfect to cement her superstar status as the song climbed to No: 1 position both in the UK and in Australia.

In private life, Nicole Kidman found life not as rosy. After a whirlwind romance with Tom Cruise, they married for a decade. However, he left her in 1990 and she had a miscarriage. She has since remarried the cowboy looking singer, Keith Urban.

Nicole Kidman is coy, exciting and desirous. She literally oozes sex, is amorous and seductively beguiling. I think the world is still very much in love with her. I, for one, adore her.

Quote of the Day:

“Life is about choices. We choose every day to suffer or celebrate.’ Anonymous

Heartsong

Sequels,Prequels, Trilogies and Serials

It is now becoming a trend for Hollywood to continue milking a successful box office formula. Lately, we had some interesting trilogies, some good sequels, one or two oddball prequels and some tired serial installments.

Briefly, I can recollect the following worthy of some mention.

• The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
• The Matrix Trilogy
• The X-men Series
• The Harry Porter Series
• The Pirates of the Caribbean Sequel
• The Spiderman Series
• The Batman Prequel
• The Superman Series
• The James Bond Franchise

I have touched on the James Bond franchise in an earlier blog.

Here are my comments on the others:


The X-men Series started rather well, went into high gear in the second installment but limped to the finishing line in the third. I think a new director was the possible cause of this nadir.

The Matrix trilogy started on a fresh new premise - on a high note, then it went a bit manic (kung-fu style) in the second and lost its velocity in the third. The 'revelation' installment failed to capture the magic and momentum of the earlier two installments.

Harry Porter was a bit soft and uncertain in the opening installment, it up the ante for excitement in the second and was darkly suspenseful in the last installment. I think it is moving upwards in the public eye. Emma Watson as Hermoine has certainly grown up charmingly beautiful with each passing installment. Stirs the adrenaline.

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy is by far the strongest of the trilogies. It came on strong in the first installment, punched like a hurricane through the second and shot through to the apex on the third. Peter Jackson's masterpiece was one entertaining trio. He deserved the Academy award!

The Spiderman Series - getting better and the plots and villains gets more sinister. I am just waiting for Spiderman to engage Sandman in the forthcoming third installment in May 2007.

The Superman Series. This time it is different. Superman now has a son, he almost died showing that he is 'not too super 'after all. I am still wondering when Lois married her husband. Was she a single parent when she married? Quite a dumb story. Exciting special effects though.

The Pirates of the Caribbean was entertaining alright. I had my share of belly laughs. Truly enjoyed the first installment but I am getting tired of the antics of the trio of Depp, Bloom and Knightley in the second. Story-line and plot continues to be good. Let us see how they finish off the third installment.

The Batman prequel was quite good but it was certainly dark and brooding. Christian Bale makes one good Batman.

On hindsight, most of these movies are okay. The special effects and the Dolby Stereo sound system is worth the money. Since the cinema has always been a pleasurable outing for Malaysians, do spend your time and money wisely.

Quote of the Day:

“Never Let a Fool Kiss You or a Kiss Fool You.” Chiasmu

Heartsong

Blonde Bond -Shaken, stirred and stunning!

Just saw the 21^st installment of the latest franchise of James Bond at Mid-valley MegaMall yesterday.

Yes, Daniel Craig - the new man, the sixth actor to play Bond – on his maiden voyage to set the franchise on fire. From playing sundry thugs and hit man, he has now donned the signature Bond suit, replete with bow tie and a Walter PPK.

He is by far the shortest actor to play Bond. What he lost in height, he compensated with his physicality, showing off his well-developed pectorals. He has a rugged sculptured look, somewhat slightly brutish in appearance and sort of edgy in his actions and movements. However, he can be charming at times and smirks effortlessly a bit like Sean Connery. In fact, he also reminds me of a young and much aloof Bill Murray.

To me, Craig is certainly a more confident Bond than Lazenby or even Dalton.

The movie has humour, good dialogue and is action-packed. There are plenty of fisticuffs, and mayhem and destruction. There are more stunts than special effects.

And do not forget the exotic locations such as Prague, the Bahamas, Miami, Lake Como, Venice, London, Mbale and Madagascar. However, the film editing needs tightening up a wee bit.

Now, let us look at the eye candy. Yes, Casino Royale has its share of beautiful faces and bodies in the form of the beguiling Eva Green, Caterina Murino, Ivana Milicevic and Alexandra Ambrosio. Except for Eva, the rest were given bimbo roles yet again.

And pray tell, what is different?

For starters, Casino Royale has departed from many of the Bond film conventions. The pre-title sequence is in black and white, the traditional opening sequence with Bond walking on to the screen, turning, and shooting his gun has been changed while the animated title sequence has done away with those luscious silhouettes of nubile females. For conservative Bond die-hards, the pulsating Monty Norman James Bond theme is mostly missing except in the dying moments of the film.

In addition, this outing sees little gadgetry, no megalomaniac, few occasions of tongue-in-cheek, no Miss Moneypenny and no Q.

So what is my verdict?

After considering the pros and cons, I think James Bond is definitely back in Daniel Craig.

007, Welcome back!

Quote of the Day:

“To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe.” Anatole France

Heartsong-Heartstrong

Bollywood Actresses-the true Heavenly Creatures

Before the advent of TV in Malaysia, the cinema was the only entertainment in town.

I remembered. It was the heady days of the 60’s.

At the cinema, we had our regular diet of gladiators, cowboys, spy flicks and love stories. Yes, in my youthful heart, I must admit, I did fall in love with lovely Lindai, sultry Lucilla Yuming, cheeky Ann Margaret, sexy Sophia Loren and pretty Audrey Hepburn.

But you know what? The real heart stealers were not from the studios of Hollywood or Hong-Kong. It was from Bombay.

Once you start watching Hindi movies, you are really hooked!

Apart from the storyline, music, dance, and songs, I was affectively mesmerized by the actress in the movie. They were exceptionally beautiful; had big captivating eyes that could see right through your very soul and wore tight-fitting sarees that accentuated fully their hour-glass shapes. And mind you, can they sing and dance energetically to the lively beat of lilting melodious music.

Even today, I can still recall the joys of watching Asha Parekh dancing in wanton abandonment as she sang, “O Mere Sona” (On my darling, Sona) in the Hitchkokian Teesri Manzil, the bewitching Saira Banu in the love parade, Pyar Mohabbat, the hauntingly sultry Naina Sahu in the tragic Hare Kunch Ki Choriyan and the alluring but troubled Vyjayantimala in the all-time classic, Sangam .

Every Hindi movies has its rising action and climax. Tears will well in my eyes when the actress goes through bad patches in the movie. Similarly, my loving heart will be a fountain of joy as justice and retribution is served at the end.

Today, a new breed of Bollywood sirens has taken to the big silver screen. The most beautiful has to be the former Miss World, Aishwarya Rai; followed by the enigmatic and demure Kajol and the fabulous Rani Mukherjee.

We love these heavenly creatures.

We adore them and we applaud them.

Quote of the Day:

“Man makes holy what he believes, as he makes beautiful what he loves.” Ernest Renan

Heartsong-Heartstrong

James Bond Girls James Bond Girls James Bond Girls

A Bond girl is a character or the actress portraying a love interest or sex object of James Bond. They typically have names that are double entendres. Most Bond girls are gorgeous and absolutely stunning. If they had played bimbo roles in the few earlier Bond movies, they were no longer bimbos in the following ones. Bond girls are now given more depth of character and play highly intelligent roles as villains, other agents and professionals. In fact, they can equal Bond.

Every one of us die-hard James Bond fans will have a list of our favourite Bond girls.

The following are my favorites in the following order.

Ursula Andress

Kristina Wayborn

Akiko Wakabayashi

Denise Richards

Famke Janssen

Jane Seymour

Lois Chiles

Maud Adams

Daniela Bianchi

Diana Rigg

Shirley Eaton

I know my list is a bit unusual as I do love the lesser Bond girls just as much as the main ones especially Akiko Wakabayashi, Kristina Wayborn and Shirley Eaton.

Quote of the Day:

" Chance favors only those who court her." Charles Nicolle

Heartsong-Heartstrong