Oz the Great and Powerful

USA 2013

Details IMDB

Seen 25 January 2013

Ratings from other sources

IMDB 6.4/10

Rotten tomatoes Average Rating 6.0/10

A small-time magician is swept away to an enchanted land and is forced into a power struggle between three witches

My Ratings .6.0/10

My impressions

Bumbling, clumsy, getting by on wit's end

A man with no scruples

Maybe a good heart

Events throw him into the deep end

Will he survive using the same old tricks

Or does he have something deeper

Hidden inside his being

That shows his true character

That he is more than the shining veneer

Tests aplenty awaiting

Success or otherwise

He has to decide

Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters

USA 2013

Details IMDB

Seen 25 January 2013

Ratings from other sources

IMDB 6.1/10

Rotten tomatoes Average Rating 4.0/10

Bounty hunters who track and kill witches all over the world.

My Ratings .5.0/10

My impressions

The past experience helps

But new demons and evils

Will always try to overpower

Whoever comes across their paths

The fights, duels and schemes continues

Each against the other

Trying to outdo, outwit the other

Will the siblings succeed

They do have an advantage

Endowed with goodness but

There is always a twist

As they continue in efforts to uphold what is right

Trying to save as many as possible

Your Sister's Sister

USA 2011

Details IMDB

Seen 4 January 2013

Ratings from other sources

IMDB 6.7/10

Rotten tomatoes Average Rating 7.0/10

Iris invites her friend Jack to stay at her family's island getaway after the death of his brother. At their remote cabin, Jack's drunken encounter with Hannah, Iris' sister, kicks off a revealing stretch of days.

My Ratings 7.0/10

My impressions

The unexpected, comes to you without any warning

The unknown, delicious, captivating

The known, the one that you desire seems so elusive

Which path should be taken

Both seem fraught with so many uncertainties

Are those feelings just flutters of the moment

Conveniently filling the void

Or are they a precursor

To something much more substantial

Questions, more questions

Risks to be taken

A decision has to be made

The Master

USA 2012

Details IMDB

Seen 3 January 2013

Ratings from other sources

IMDB 7.1/10

Rotten tomatoes Average Rating 8.1/10

A Naval veteran arrives home from war unsettled and uncertain of his future - until he is tantalized by The Cause and its charismatic leader

My Ratings 7.5/10

My impressions

Two individuals, linked by a bond

Dependent on each other

One might seem superior to the other

That is not quite true

They are of the same mould

Hosting demons lurking deep inside

Kindred spirits that recognise each other

Others are unable to see

They acknowledge each other

The strength and weaknesses

Inherent in the character

Unable, unwilling to change

Let the demons linger

Cloud Atlas

USA 2012

Details IMDB

Seen 31 December 2012

Ratings from other sources

IMDB 7.6/10

Rotten tomatoes Average Rating 6.6/10

An exploration of how the actions of individual lives impact one another in the past, present and future, as one soul is shaped from a killer into a hero, and an act of kindness ripples across centuries to inspire a revolution

My Ratings 7.0/10

My impressions

Our life is not what it seems

Our lives are interrelated

The past, present and future

All events linked

All in a continuing circle

Past, present and future influencing each other

Today effects tomorrow

That has always been the case

Alas we tend to forget the threads

The ongoing fight between good and evil

It never ends but good must always prevail

That is the eternal hope

Life of Pi

USA 2012

Details IMDB

Seen 30 December 2012

Ratings from other sources

IMDB 8.1/10

Rotten tomatoes Average Rating 7.9/10

A young man who survives a disaster at sea is hurtled into an epic journey of adventure and discovery. While cast away, he forms an unexpected connection with another survivor: a fearsome Bengal tiger

My Ratings 8.0/10

My impressions

Fanciful, unbelievable

Too good to be true

Too far fetched

How did it happen

Did it happen as told

Or was it just dreams

Hallucinations

The benefit of the doubt

Has to be given

He did survive

Despite all odds

A miracle

Triumph over adversity

Skyfall

UK 2012

Details IMDB

Seen 3 November 2012

Ratings from other sources

IMDB 7.8/10

Rotten Tomatoes Average Rating 8.2/10

My Ratings .8.0/10

The past catches up with the present

My impressions

The past should have been left there

Remain

As a memory

Its presence

Now

Triggers calamitous events

The past

However has a mind of its own

Independent

Actions taken

Plans

Minute detais

All in order

Towards an end

To put a finality

To the past

Ice Age Continental Drift

USA 2012

Details IMDB

Seen 21 July 2012

Ratings from other sources

IMDB 6.6/10

Rotten Tomatoes Average Rating 5.1/10

My Ratings 6.0/10

Another adventure for the family.

My impressions

Despite the laughter

There are tears, fears, uncertainty

The family unit

With the help of friends

Who are always there through so many events

That camaraderie

Forged not within a second or two

But through a continuation of

Ups and downs

Is triumphant

Not immediately

But in the end

Highlighting

The good and bad

In all of us

A Better Life

USA 2011

Details imdb

Seen 16 May 2012

Dreams and promises

Ratings

IMDB 7.1/10

Rotten Tomatoes Audience 79% liked it

Don't expect punch-ups or fast paced action when you watch this film but be prepared to be buoyed by the relationship between a father and his son. A laid back style which might be too tame for some but it does get a 7.0/10 for the overall feel.

My impressions:

The daily struggle

Seem to be at an end

When the father gets his a new lease of life

A new beginning

Hopes soar high

Unexpected turn of events

Derail those dreams

He tries

The son helps

Understands up to a certain point

Why the father behaves in that way

Seems distant

When a more immediate action

Would be better

It is love in the end

That explains it all

That inexplicable, unexplainable

Feeling

For someone

The Lady

France/UK 2011

Details imdb

Seen 9 May 2012

Determined, stubborn lady

Ratings

IMDB 6.8/10

Rotten Tomatoes Audience 64% liked it

This is a love story. A woman unwittingly in the thick of events that no one foresaw. Watch this if you want to find out the tugs of war between your feelings for your homeland and loved ones. Overall, the film gets a 7.0/10 for the ensemble acting and a look at one woman's journey from ordinary housewife to national icon.

My impressions:

As the lady asked

What kind of freedom is meant

When one has to choose

Between loved ones and your own country

Loyalty and love

They intermingled

Is one greater than the other

Or one complements the other

Can anyone say for certain

If one is a better sacrifice

Than the other

It will depend on each of us

The answer however painful

The final decision

Son of Babylon

Iraq 2009

Details imdb

Seen 11 Feb 2012

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon remains a dream

A boy and his grandmother

On a journey, a quest to find the truth

That journey itself is a revelation

In a country torn apart

Ravaged by war

Death

A country, once upon a time, a long long time ago

Beautiful, prosperous, magnificent

Now barren, desolate, on its knees

Drowning, trying to survive day by day, step by step

A boy and his grandmother

In their quest, step by step

Trying to be sure, to confirm

That there is hope

But if there is no hope, at least an answer

At least the journey would not be in vain

Azura 2012

Malaysia 2012

Details jiwang

Seen 11 Feb 2012

The notion of love eternal despite all the cliches

That love again

That human specialty, where two souls find each other

That emotion, quickens the heart beat

Love on its own will never be

Nurture it, pamper it, listen to it

It is fragile before it can become strong

It takes baby steps before the big leap

It gurgles before blabbering non stop

Yes, slowly, love will grow

All is not rosy, though

There are always obstacles

Even in the best of times

There is a need for the two

To rise above

To fight

Together against the enemy

Being together is not sufficient

The bond has to be stronger or else

A tiny crack grows

Into a chasm

Our Brand is Crisis

USA 2005

Details imdb

Seen 8 Dec 2011

An art form that is abstract

Not the usual painting or sculpture

More of the ways and means

Winning the hearts of many, the nation

As the spoils are so immense

The end justifies the means

At a glance, every step is above board

Along the way, there has been mistakes

Which is not acknowledged directly

Rather obliquely

That is the means

Ensuring the masses will consider

That this side is much better than the other

In all ways and aspects

Not forgetting that the other side

Has its own weaknesses

That needs to be highlighted, emphasised

In contrast to your camp

Positives are put to the front

Glorified even

Negatives are put at the back burner

Simmering until it boils over

Inside Job

USA 2010

Details imdb

Seen 7 Dec 2011

We're naïve aren't we, thinking that we control our destiny

Whereas there are Big Brothers

Watching us, using us as pawns

In the bigger game of profits and losses of the corporate world

They are the ones who have control

With just a call, a talk between two like minded movers

The world shudders as a consequence

Where are we, the pawns, in the big picture

Very very tiny

We get the crumbs even though our blood and sweat flows freely

In order for the elites to savour and indulge the gains

We get the crumbs, that is ordained

The top will say that they are the brains

They deserve the cream and cake too

While we get the crumbs

Will this arrangement end?

When will that be?

Is it soon or still a dream, a hallucination, unreachable

The pawns are in their places and positions

Forever

Unless those who has the controls decide otherwise

Will that ever happen?

Not in the foreseeable future

In the meantime

The pawns have to grit and bare the hardships

Not of their own making

Powerless, in the struggle and battles of the kings

The modern day kings and monarchs

Of an ever expanding and domineering world

The corporate world with its dog eat dog mantra

Gie

Indonesia 2005

Details imdb

Seen 6 Dec 2011

That awkward age when we're in transition

Escaping from childhood

Entering adulthood

The youth influenced by others, not yet an independent soul

This youth is different

He ponders, concludes and influences

The writings inspire others

He himself aspires for another life

A more balanced, equitable order for everyone

Not the lopsided present

The life he leads is not without its ups and downs

He as other youths of the day

Have other interests

Which sometimes puts a break on his plans

He soldiers on, struggles

Relentless, idealistic, not knowing whether he will succeed

Not just in pursuing his dream

But to lead a life that he wants

Not just for himself

But for others who look up to him

He of that generation, bright eyed

Didn't know or refuse to know that

Others have different ideas

Others want to use that generation, the youth

For their own goals

The youth will be the conduit

The face of the movement

A movement that might not be true to the ideals

That started it all

Nothing but the truth

USA 2008

Details  imdb

Seen 5 Dec 2011

Can we ourselves in her situation?

Trying to keep a secret

At whatever cost

Why does she do it?

Jeopardising herself, family and all those linked to her

Is it so hard to just tell

One word is all it takes

And the misery will disappear

Why can't she see that it is so simple?

As if she alone has the moral high ground

This is reality

Others are affected by her decision

And what would be the consequence

If she does give in

Dalam botol

Malaysia 2011

Details imdb

Seen 24 March 2011

A word, a single sentence

Changes

I, you and those around us

Trying to make amends

However hard it might be

Still trying

Until

The realisation sinks in

This life is not the one

This life is a lie

Truth has to be seen, lived

In the open

Even if it hurts

I, you and those around us

Zarganar This Prison Where I Live

UK 2010

Details eyeforfilm

Seen 13 February 2011

Some may say it is futile

A lost cause

Why should a man who can be free

Choose to stay and fight the battle at home

Why

Perplexing may be to some

Makes perfect sense to him

It is his country, home

Nurturing him, seeing him into adulthood

The bond could never be broken

Any action whether foolhardy

Or with a lot of thought given

Is for the Motherland

It must displease those in power

When actions are against the grain

The rules that have been stipulated

A wrong is still a wrong

A wrong must be put right

Slowly perhaps, or with drastic measures

Whichever path is taken

It will lead to an ultimate goal

To see that justice and liberty

Is enjoyed by all

Sicko

USA 2007

Details  imdb

Seen 13 February 2011

A system that supposedly

Cares for all

Is not what it seems

Using, following the rules

Does not bring the benefits

That was meant to be

Instead heartaches and dissatisfaction

Prevails

What ails the system

At the very beginning

It was not to benefit the masses

Instead

It was meant for the industry

Which reaps the spoils

Under the facade of helping others

Dancer in the dark

Denmark 2000

Details  rottentomatoes

Seen 13 February 2011

Darkness

Steadily encroaching

Stealthily descending

Enveloping all and sundry

The dancer tries in vain

Dancing to the rhythm

Dancing to the tune

Not seeing but feeling

Not comprehending but sensing

Something is amiss

The tune, the melody

Might be sweet, might be a delight

But not to all

There is always that jarring note

That odd crescendo

That defiant note

Standing out, defiant

A note it may be

A calamity it brings

Damping malam

Malaysia 2010

Details  sinemamalaysia

Seen 30 December 2010

Supposedly to help

But what did she know

Her actions

Supposedly saving the family

Has not the desired effect

Rash actions

She did not know

She did not realise

Or just brushed aside

Even though love was behind it all

It was not powerful enough

To sustain

To defend

To repel

A power unforeseen

Not of this world

Seeking what has been promised

Her actions

Rash actions

Look what it has done

Aku Tak Bodoh

Malaysia 2010

Details Akutakbodoh

Seen 3 December 2010

Adults, parents

They think they know best

Children, teenagers

What do they know?

A clash between the two

A different approach

Opposite conclusions

Of course

Truth will prevail

When decisions

Made in haste

Are proven to be in error

It does not matter

Where the idea came from

Just because it is from a young mind

Does not mean

It does not warrant acceptance

Sometimes

An idea, a suggestion

Carried through

Bears fruit for all concerned

A winning situation

Mantra

Malaysia 2010

Details Yahoo movies

Seen 16 July 2010

Repeated chants

Fill the air

Menacingly

Two sides of the same coin

Finding, fighting

That elusive love

That bond that binds

Despite the odds against

Lagenda Budak Setan

Malaysia 2010

Details cinema online

Seen 20 June 2010

The devil

The naughty devil

The damsel

The oh so sweet damsel

Irritated, inquisitive

Admiration grudgingly

Then love

Of course not without the hiccups