A film review: 'Cloverfield'

Origin: USA
Language: English
Director: Matt Reeves
Producers: J.J. Abrams, Bryan Burk
Writer: Drew Goddard
Genres: Thriller / science fiction
Casts: Lizzy Caplan, T.J. Miller, Jessica Lucas, Odette Yustman, Michael Stahl-David, Mike Vogel
Release: January 18, 2008
Studio: Bad Robot Productions
Distributor: Paramount Pictures

Okay. This is also not the film I said I'd review, but rather the latest film I've watched off of my hard drive quite recently.

I just feel like this film needs to be reviewed in a proper manner like this and... I really wanted to say this about Cloverfield; this is just a very average creature feature, despite its presentation. Fuck the hype of this film, man. Doesn't mean jack.

This film, back in the day, apparently was like TV-hyped, Internet-hyped, and even friend-hyped... at least, that's how I remembered it. The gimmick was so intense, I recalled feeling so bad for not catching it in the cinemas and experience its supposed bad-assery and fake authenticity (by that I mean, its presentation; a "found footage," a style in film that got re-popularised and milked till it's sour by the Paranormal Activity franchise and many other struggling American horror films that uses this style in order to force scares out of the moviegoers [except for Sinister; that one's good!]... that was revived by The Blair Witch Project [I really should watch it when I feel like it], which in turn, I think, got inspired by the notorious Cannibal Holocaust).

A film review: 'Sabotage'

Origin: USA
Language: English
Director: David Ayer
Producers: David Ayer, Bill Block, Ethan Smith, Paul Hanson, Palek Patel
Writers: Skip Woods, David Ayer
Genres: Action / crime thriller
Casts: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sam Worthington, Olivia Williams, Terence Howard, Joe Manganiello,
Harold Perrineau, Martin Donovan, Max Martini, Josh Holloway, Mirreile Enos
Release: March 28, 2014
Studios: Albert S. Ruddy Productions, Crave Films, QED International, Roth Films
Distributor: Open Road Films

Now THIS is the second film of the year that I watched in theatres; replacing Mamat Khalid's Apokalips X slot since TGV KLCC does not show the film there (BOO!), in a two-movie marathon that my brother and his friend had planned (his friend had literally come too far to just watch ONE movie, so we had to choose one). So you could say it's a random pick (since none of the other choices tickled us fancy), but it's not a bad movie, really; it's unexpectedly good! 

We didn't have any expectations at all; other than Arnie here is leading the ensemble cast (yeah, I simply call him Arnie 'cause typing his last name is just tiresome), so we think it should have that campy sense of joy. But boy were we totally wrong!

This film surprised me and my company of men a whole damn lot when we realised that this is just no Expendables rip-off (how ironic... because The Expendables itself IS an intentional rip-off to the best old-school cheesy actioners known to man). No, sir! Don't let Arnie's presence fool you into thinking that this is a no-brainer, popcorn action film. It's actually a very deeply thought out crime thriller, but bloody and gory still (heck, it's even more bloodier AND gorier than The Expendables)!

A film review: 'Bad Ass' speaks for itself.

Origin: USA
Language: English
Director: Craig Moss
Producer: Ash R. Shah
Writers: Craig Moss, Elliot Tishman
Genre: Action
Casts: Danny Trejo, Charles S. Dutton, Ron Perlman
Release: April 13, 2012
Studios: Amber Lamps, LLC, Silver Nitrate
Distributors: Samuel Goldwyn Films, 20th Century Fox

Hey ho! This is not one of the films I said I'd review, right? Whatever, man! I suddenly feel like reviewing this one off of my massive library of films from my external hard drive which I've watched a while back... and it's not that recent too (the most recent one being David Fincher's Se7en). Let's get with it!

Okay. Maybe EVERYONE was wrong. Even though many have billed Robert Rodriguez's Machete (which also starred this mofo on the poster of the aptly-named film here) or anything that will or have spun-off of Quentin Tarantino and Rodriguez's exploitation double-feature Grindhouse as the most awesome B-movie tribute ever, I personally don't think so (save for Hobo With a Shotgun; that's in a whole other league). THIS one, in MY point of view, has the power to topple that poser off the top of the B-movie tribute list.

Just like its namesake, the film, which stars the, well... badass actor of Mexican descent we're all familiar with as Machete Cortez, whom I just realised his badassness, when he was actually even more badass back in his Desperado heyday (which I HAVE to watch, now that I've mentioned it!), is loosely based on a 3-minute-ish viral YouTube clip of a real life event. How creative! This is an even better source material than video games, novels, or a themed product line, as you can go totally nuts with the plot and execution! And boy did the filmmakers do that; especially with the latter!

Sebuah reviu filem: 'Zombi Kilang Biskut'.

Asal: Malaysia
Bahasa: Melayu
Pengarah & lakon layar: Mamat Khalid
Genre: Komedi / aksi / seram
Pelakon: Awie, Soffi Jikan, Shuk, Shy8 (Usop Wilcha)
Rilis: 20 Mac 2014
Studio: Enjit Semut Productions
Pengedar: Tayangan Unggul

Fuwah! Lama gila tak ulas filem aku tonton kat pawagam! Last ulasan filem yang aku rajin nak buat untuk filem aku tonton kat pawagam pun... KL Gangster 2; itu pun tahun lepas! Nampak tak berapa lama aku tak tengok filem kat pawagam? Kos hidup, brader... dan jugak kesihatan aku. Banyak tengok filem kat hard drive je since then. Tu pun aku malas nak ulas. Entah kenapa. Tengoklah. Karang aku rasa nak reviu semua yang aku dah tengok tu, aku buatlah. Tapi sekarang ni punya cerita, dalam tahun ni aku dah tengok empat filem kat pawagam. Ini adalah filem pertama yang aku tonton tahun 2014 ni. Kejap lagi (atau lambat lagi, entahlah) akan ada reviu susulan, yakni terhadap dua filem yang aku tonton pada hari yang sama, dan mungkin juga filem yang aku tonton 7 Mei lepas, tapi dalam Bahasa Inggeris-lah, sebab filem Amerika yang aku tonton.

Lebih kurang beberapa hari selepas filem Zombi Kilang Biskut / ZKB ni dirilis, aku pergi menontonnya berseorangan atas dasar tak nak orang yang ikut aku nanti meraung; biarlah aku sorang je yang rasa sekiranya filem ni mengecewakan (sebenarnya sebab kakak aku kerja, adik aku ada internship, aku tak ada geng nak tengok sekali, dan aku teringin sangat nak tengok wayang sorang-sorang). Aku secara jujurnya tak mengharap sangat pun follow-up kepada zombie-arc mitologi Kampung Pisang si Mamat Khalid ni. Aku tengok Zombi Kampung Pisang / ZKP dulu pun ala kadar je, tapi masih terhibur disebabkan pengarah ni berani mengetengahkan makhluk zombi yang asalnya dari Hollywood ni ke ke industri layar perak tempatan... albeit dalam bentuk komedi disebabkan look-and-feel ZKP ternampaklah sangat B-movie (masa ni, B-movie pun aku tak tau amende), selain keinginan aku nak tonton Awie yang masa tu baru-baru je badan berketak tiba-tiba landing watak filem komedi, sebab watak-watak dia sebelum ni hampir sentiasa serius, jambu, dan jiwang, sehinggalah dia dipanggil berlakon Baik Punya Cilok, jadi projek dia yang seterusnya mestilah menarik. Aku sebenarnya lebih teruja menunggu filem Mamat yang lagi satu, yakni Apokalips X (yang tak sempat aku nak tengok kat pawagam... sedih!).

Anyway, berbalik kepada repekan dan pandangan aku tentang pengalaman menonton kerja terbaru Mamat Khalid ni. Aku rasa memang bijaklah aku berkeputusan untuk tonton filem ni sorang-sorang, sebab sememangnya filem ni agak mendukacitakan. Tak taulah aku nak salahkan En. Hassan Muthalib ke salahkan diri sendiri sebab percayakan dia yang sangat galak mempromo filem ni even sebelum filem ni siap dekat Facebook dia. Atau aku ni je poyo sangat. Entahlah. Ok, ok. Mari kita reviu.

Reviu imbas kembali #6: Teater 'Sirah Junjungan'

Wah! Lama tak hapdet blog ni wei, walaupun entri terakhir aku tahun ni jugak! Apa-apalaaaah.

Nah, lagi satu ulasan lama, sempena Ramadhan 1435H yang akan menjelang tak lama lagi (eceh!). Ini juga macam flashback review Buddha Collapsed Out of Shame; ayat-ayat dalam ni gila skema sebab aku tulis ulasan ni untuk kelas sebagai tugasan subjek semester 2 diploma aku One Act Drama / Drama Sebabak. Terimalah.

P/S: Maaflah. Tak ada gambar hari kejadian. Aku ni jenis bangang sikit taknak buat dokumentasi. Heh.

Aku tak jumpa poster untuk versi TEKA / FiTA, jadi aku sauk je gambar promosi versi original teater ni kat Google.

Teater Sirah Junjungan merupakan teater yang julung kali diadakan anjuran Fakulti Teknologi Kreatif dan Artistik (F.A.C.T) dan Pusat Pemikiran dan Kefahaman Islam (CITU), UiTM Kolej Puncak Perdana yang telah diadakan selama seminggu di UiTM Puncak Alam sempena sambutan Maulidur Rasul 1432H. Teater ini telah diarahkan oleh Umi Kalsom Ahmad dan merupakan sebuah adaptasi daripada salah sebuah karya Erma Fatima. Secara amnya, kisah teater ini telah digarap berdasarkan perjalanan hidup nabi junjungan umat Islam, Nabi Muhammad S.A.W.; dari awal kelahirannya semasa Tahun Gajah sehinggalah ke nafas terakhir baginda. Sejujurnya, inilah teater pertama yang pernah saya tonton sepanjang hidup saya. Secara keseluruhannya, untuk teater pertama yang pernah saya tonton, saya amat berpuas hati kerana kesannya yang amat mendalam sekali dan membuatkan hubungan kita dengan Rasulullah S.A.W kian dekat di hati walaupun jauh di mata.