Places of Interest: Dinosaur Live! and Science Centre

Places of Interest: Dinosaur Live! and Science Centre

Heres another thing that I am going to start reviewing, this would be places to go or visit in Singapore on those days when you really don't know where to go or just wondering where to go to spice up that outing of yours. So there are places where some might enjoy, and places where some other people might enjoy, so I will try to be objective and you can decide for yourself whether it is worth your time and probably money to go.

INFORMATION

The exhibition is held in the Science Centre Singapore and the site is found here

Opening Hours: 10am to 6pm
Directions: Walkable from Jurong East Mrt
Ticket Pricing: $23 Dollars for admission into Science Center and Dinosaur Live! exhibits
Exhibition Duration: 21th Oct to 26 Feb 2012
Exhibition Estimated Time: 60 - 90 mins

INTRODUCTION

So there are many exhibitions in the science center for those who do not know and they are actually grouped into sections like Fire, Sound, Bioethics and stuff like that. Then they will also have the occasionally travelling exhibitions from external sources and this Dinosaur Live! is the present one. A more famous previous exhibit was the CSI exhibit that i actually went to and spent a fair amount of time there.

This is one of the exhibits in the Fire section

This is how a Velociraptor looks like, it has feathers

So basically, there are really two sections to the science center and these are two discrete sections meaning that they are not related in one way or another. I won't post too much pictures of the other dinosaurs but just to make it clear, they are not living and will not come and lick you on the hand or anything to that effect. So parents no worries about bringing your kids there a they will most likely be following you home. 

There also seems to be some shows in Dinosaur Live as well as the Science center itself so there are some stuff that you can do. You can also buy some toys and souvenirs at the site itself but its really nothing interesting to me.

Ok now to move on to the review proper. We will try to use a general criteria that we can apply to all places of interest that you might want to visit in Singapore. Places like shopping centers and Universal Studios should be covered someday.

Interest Factor

So this place is supposed to cater to the people who are interested in dinosaurs and also to those interested in science. Actually to be more exact it caters in particular to the kids in interested in dinosaurs and the parents who want to bring their kids to learn a bit of science. 

Talking about the dinosaur section, to be honest, it was largely a disappointment compared to what else the science center had to offer. The dinosaurs do move a bit here and there and they make their specific chirping or some funny sounds, but they are not actually not all to scale, so expect to see some level of magnitude but still feel that it is not really all that large. Of course to really build it to its real size would be impossible, but really thats about all it has to offer. 

From the picture above you can actually see that each of the dinosaurs have a panel with some brief information like some dimensions and when it is found but these information will only be relevant to people who actually can tell the difference between the ages. (If you think that Dinosaurs only existed in the Jurassic age, you probably understand the significance of these information) So there are maybe slightly more then 10 and less then 20 of these exhibits. However for the little kids it seems that they are given some tiny books or cards with which they can use to collect chops of the dinosaurs. This was not given to me when i went in so I do not really know. The other activities that they have inside is actually just some coloring stuff. So to be honest as a adult there is really nothing that "Wows" me. The info can actually be found by simple googling anyway.

Science center on the other hand was actually pretty entertaining for me and was the place i spent more of my time at. They have all types of display that might interest those who have some contact with science. Generally those who like physics and biology should find some fun in all the many sectors they have. In fact I actually didn't have enough time to slowly play with all the sectors. There are also some more physical sectors that the kiddies would enjoy such as the ecopool or something where they can play with water and stuff like that.

Accessibility

So science center is just a walk from the MRT station so it can be considered pretty accessible. However it is located all the way in the west side of Singapore. Fortunately there are plenty of parking lots over there so driving should not be an issue. There are also places out of the center for you to eat but no nearby shopping malls. The macdonalds right at the entrance is kinda small and generally crowded so you might prefer to move over to the shops area across the road for lunch. Don't worry, you can always reenter the science center with the chop that they will stamp on your hand.

Atmosphere

Dinosaur Live! was generally dark and very linear. You basically start off at the beginning and just walk your way to the end. Its all dark with lots of noises from the dinosaurs. As a result the dinosaurs look pretty bland to be honest, with all of them glowing a certain hue according to the lighting. Also not good for reading. And add to that the miniaturization of the dinosaurs its just an OK atmosphere. Not too crowded even though i went on a weekend though.

Science center on the other hand had a better atmosphere. You will know when you step into the new sectors as they will use a unique style of presentation for each section. For example in the ispace section its basically a playground to display and to show how to utilize future technology. But for the bioethics section, it is really very theoretical and gives questions and surveys to see how you feel towards certain issue and brings up certain issues to think about. Not crowded either but a sad part is that quite a few of the exhibits have been damaged by the many people who come into the place.

For example there was some audio exhibit that you need to put the earphones on your ear and it will simulate you getting your hair cut. But the problem is one side of the earphones was already spoilt so you hear everything from one side. Completely lost its value just like that. But thanks to the many other exhibits you probably still can find something fun to play with.

Cost

The cost was $23 dollars for an adult and if you only go to the dinosaur section it is $20 while for pure science center experience it would be $9 dollars. My advice is, DO NOT JUST GO TO THE DINO SECTION. Seriously. The estimated time they said that it could entertain you was 60 to 90 minutes. I finished in 30 minutes and had to back track to just make sure my money was worth. I still left at 45 mins. I will go crazy had I payed $20 dollars just for that.

Thankfully the $3 dollars additional Science center made the entire trip worth. In fact I had too little time to play with all the exhibits and this was actually the 2nd time i went to the science center as an adult. Spent a total of 3 hours there meaning that in mathematical terms it would be about $9 dollars per hour. I could easily spend another 2 hours there had i taken my time at the science center so I would rate this place as $5 per hour. Compare this to a 2 hour movie that cost $6.50 - $9.50 which ends up about 4 to 5 dollars per hour, its pretty ok. AS LONG AS YOU GO TO THE SCIENCE CENTER.

Revisitability


I still haven't played with all the things there and the science center itself has various shows that changes occasionally. Snow city is also near. Given the fact that the main attraction which is the temporary exhibits changes occassionally, I probably would see myself going back there some other day for the temporary exhibit, but make the money worth by playing around in the science center itself again.

Overall


Interest Factor         : 3.5 (Dino was bad, maybe a 2.5 but science center saved it being about a 4)
Accessibility            : 3.5 (Near for west siders, far for east, but no need to go too often so its fine)
Atmosphere             : 3 (Both atmosphere could have been greatly improved, especially dinosaurs)
Cost                        : 3 (Its an ok cost, Dinosaurs would be like a 1, and science center a 4)
Revisitablilty             : 3 (Should be worth visiting in the future. But wont be that soon)

Overall                     : 3.2 (Ok to be honest, you probably will only want to come here if....1. You have kids who are interested in dinosaurs and science in general or 2. You are really bored and you also have interest in spending more time in a fixed location learning and experiencing some science stuff. Arty farty people probably will not find anything fun over here. It is a pure scientific place.)

So this is my first review on places of interest in Singapore. Please comment and tell me if there is anything that is improvable.

Finally Confucious Bird says hi

Note that the two pictures here would already cover about 1/7 or 1/8 of all the exhibits you will see there actually....

Movies: Killer Elite

Movies: Killer Elite

INTRODUCTION

Big names, big budget but does this equate to a good show? For the uninformed here is the poster for the show

If you have seen any movie recently before the release of this movie, you will be expecting action action and lots of action. But if you look closely at the words below the title u see something here "Based on a true story". Wow so this show is true and it has lots of guns and action and sunglasses right? Not only that, it is also a 2 hour long show :D which = to more entertainment time per dollar spent! 

Well my first advice for you is that, if you are expecting an action packed show like what the trailers would lead you to believe.... you are going to have to wipe off all that expectation to at least get a kick out of the show. Is it that bad? Well maybe its too easily misunderstood. Look at the caption at the top... May The Best Man Live, put that into a show called Killer Elite and with 3 big names you would expect some kinda face off between these 3 people in all their killing instinctual glory.

Ok now onto the review proper

Storyline

So this movie is supposed to be based on a true story, which means in some way it might have occurred in some form or another. This adds a level of engagement to the audience but only if they were aware it was based on a true story in the first place. But because of this, I would say that the show is not as creative in the action department and you actually won't really see anything particularly unique or special that will blow your mind away. Also being based off a true story you will realize the plot is really pretty simple, but because it is a realistic plot, it really is not anything very special or fun which acts in a detrimental manner to the funness of the show.

I would have rather seen a show with a killer trying his best to break his old man out of jail with all his killer instinct and skill then to see him carry out a series of activities set aside by some old dying guy whom is not really so impressive in the first place and doesn't really have a particularly strong leverage against a trained killer.

Like i said previously also, do not expect to be seeing 3 killers facing off in the show as from the beginning of the show you will actually realise that in the end this movie is more or less a 1 v 1 with the old experienced killer actually playing a relatively minor role. 

Character

There are a few other characters besides the three starring characters. Two of which actually can be considered to be playing a relatively important role but they seem to need no backstory and are just thrown into the show as some sort of filler and later killed off in a pretty quick fashion. There are other random characters that merely just appear out of the blue and the main character's girlfriend doesn't really serve too much of a purpose for a action movie.

By this I mean that you could easily just dump the girlfriend/wife and tweak the show slightly to make it more of an action show and less of the time being used to express poorly some alternative reason for the killer to act the way he does.

Cinematography

Sadly for an action show, this show doesn't do anything particularly over the top. Angles and perspectives are standard. There are attempts at better shots but these are too few and not striking out enough for me personally as what is expected of a action flick.

To be honest, the only thing that was saving the show was actually the acting of De Niro but sadly he was not a major character in the show and could have been used in a more prominent manner

Music

Music is normal, didn't hear anything particularly good or bad. Sound effects however, seem to be pretty weak for an action show.

Spectacle

For an action show, this doesn't really strike me out to be particularly far above average. There are moments but every action show attempts these moments and since this show doesn't do it well enough, its hard to score them high. Further more the plot itself though realistic, is actually too standard and kind of ordinary to generate fun and excitement using the storyline itself.

Overall

Storyline              : 3 (Possible storyline but presented not too well for an action flick)

Character            : 3 (Very passable characters with the standard characteristics, very unimpressionable)

Cinematography  : 3 (Ordinary, should have been done better for an action flick)

Music                  : 3 (The average score, least it wasn't bad)

Spectacle            : 3 (Doesn't bring itself out as a unique action experience, neither do they push the storyline strongly enough if that was what they were going for)

Overall                : 3 (This show belongs to the typical group of action shows whereby you ask yourself, hey i have nothing better to do today, I just wanna see some action and you go there and get taken for a ride but after which you realized that you would have never seen this show if there was something better for you to do. Even true blue action fans will most likely not enjoy the show because the action part is not strong either.)

This probably is one of the most ordinary action shows that I have seen, weekday priced ticket is still fine but anything more is really a bit too steep.

Any comments or impression please state :)

Series: Criminal Minds

Series: Criminal Minds

Today I shall begin on another category of reviews, still related to the entertainment industry but this time its on the TV series that we have. Generally they will all be US TV series that will come to Singapore sooner or later. I will start by giving a brief introduction of the series and then probably use the same criteria of the movie reviews to score and review the series. Advantages of seeing series is that once you get one entire season, you can have at least 10 hours of something to see unlike movies. Hence series provide good on the go entertainment which is basically what i put into my phone and its really good company from the work place and back and from anywhere else. You will never feel that you are wasting your time again ^_^

Of course in a series there will be moments of where the show storyline is bad, or the actors get killed and stuff like that which may affect particular seasons and episodes, but to be honest, I haven't found many series whereby i got totally bored by the story, EXCEPT Japanese anime. In my opinion most are still worth seeing even as their direction changes slightly or the storyline gets a bit more convoluted.

Without further Ado, here is some information about Criminal Minds

INFORMATION

Status: Currently On-going
Seasons : 7 as of 22th Oct 2011
Episodes per Season : ~22
Length of each episode : 45 Minutes
Genre : Crime Solving, Thriller, Psychology, Drama

INTRODUCTION


This show is basically touted to be the most closest to real life, meaning how true are the procedures done, that the cases that are shown in the show are actually pretty likely, and there are also many episodes that were modeled after true events. In fact during the show, the resident intelligent geek of the show actually sprouts out many statistics and details that are true. There are also many psychological conditions that are talked about during the show and these are true problems that people do face in the real world.

In fact, during one of my lectures in my university, a guest lecturer was invited from the psychological profiling department of the Police and he said that Criminal minds is one of the tv series that is most realistic and not just dramatized ala CSI.

Also, this show not only focuses on a single crime every episode, but it also develops the story and the backstory of each character hence giving each season another level of story. However this is generally more evident towards the last 10 episodes of the seasons. Most of the episodes follow a standard format, starting off with the crime being committed and it sometimes puts you into the perspective of the perpetrator. Then it goes on to the responding towards the crime and finally the conclusion whereby the perpetrator is caught and apprehended or something to that effect.

There is also the traditional profile giving in almost ever episode, whereby the behavioral unit actually describes the characteristics and profile of the perpetrator and for people who have particular interest in this field this might be a plus point as you can see how the conclusion was drawn from the crime scene and other factors.

Also, this show places quite a emphasis on the apprehending of the perpetrator part. So that's why there is a thriller and a bit of action element to the show. This aids in making the show less theoretical only by adding a touch of excitement to the show.

Plot


This is where the series scores extremely high, every episode has a generally unique storyline with a new type and kind of perpetrator. Some are inherently bad, some are actually good, and there are some who are merely just misunderstood. This allows for a variety of directions for the episode to take and hence it doesn't degenerate into a show whereby everything seems to just be repeated again and again.

It is done so well that there are some episodes whereby you yourself are actually scared at how this kind of situation may occur in the real world, and there are other episodes whereby you wonder how can anyone justify doing these things. And according to some testimonies from friends that I have, there are some episodes whereby you feel so much for the perpetrator that you cannot help but shed a tear. Of course I never cried seeing this show being the emotional less guy that i am but for the more human, this might really happen to the benefit of the show.

Add on to this the underlying story that involves the backgrounds of the characters in the show and you have a compelling show that is able to generate interest into the starring characters as well as episodic characters.


Character

Character development in this show is also very good, with all the starring characters having their own little section in some seasons whereby their backgrounds are elaborated upon and we start to be able to see how do they react on the personal level rather then imagining them to be some robotic police officers. There are romantic involvements, encouragements that put a more human touch into the show which helps us immerse and feel more for the character.

Note that this show is not afraid to kill off characters and put in the additional cruel moment that is important to show the viewers that this is the real world, and in the real world not everything comes out smoothly and happily.

Also given the way the episodes are shown, we also are able to feel for the episodic villains and victims reasonably well although this show tends to highlight more on the villains then the reaction of the victims. Still this gives them a bit more depth and results in a bit more emotional attachment to the characters which helps the premise of the show.


Cinematography


This show uses a variety of ways to help immerse the viewer into the show and to pretty good effect. We sometimes see things in the eyes of the victims, sometimes in the eyes of the villains and this extra touch adds to the feeling and atmosphere of the show. There are also more action orientated moments and this show does a pretty good job at bringing the thrill out.


Music


Music is alright in this show, no particular notice of anything too enhancing or too hindering. I guess there are some moments where there is some music assistance but to be honest the story is compelling enough already and hence it probably only helps in the subconscious.


Spectacle


Take a normal crime solving show, add in explanations about the psychology of the criminal and put in action into the apprehension. This is what Criminal mind sets off to do and it does this very well. It doesn't construct unrealistic stories and sometimes even uses real life crimes as a backing for what has happened. This show entertains as well as teaches us more about real life that we might not see everyday and that not all bad people want to be bad.


Longevity


This is a new addition to the rating system as I feel that there are series that really have many many seasons and spin offs till they tend to get boring. The ways to give longevity to the show include to hide many details and the beginning and elaborate on them as time goes by, like how Criminal minds introduces the characters backstory, and to also have a interesting overarching story. Criminal minds combines these two aspects together and 7 seasons down the road it is still going strong. However some crimes and their basis for happening has already been used in the past episodes and thus it is anyone's guess how much more they can twist and turn the story to still generate interest.

Killing off and reintroducing characters also do help to keep the show fresh and this show did it before but hasn't done it in the recent seasons


Overall
Plot                     : 4.5 (The premise is good and it is well carried out)
Character            : 4.5 (Has many characters all which are elaborated on already and they show their distinct nature throughout the episodes)
Cinematography   : 4.5 (Has a good way of immersing the viewers into the show)
Music                  : 3.5 (Really never noticed it but neither did it hinder the show)
Spectacle             : 4.5 (Exemplifies the genre very well)
Longevity             : 4.0 (As seasons have gone along it starts to seem slightly repeated, but it has the potential to go on strong)

Overall                 : 4.25 (If you like crime solving, you like to learn more, you like a bit of action and you really want to see what goes on in the minds of a perpetrator, this show is the show for you and you will be able to enjoy and feel for the characters of the show.)

To conclude this is the way I have chosen so far for my series review, please feedback if you think there could be any improvements.

J.J says goodbye and thanks for reading :)

Movies: The Thing

Movie: The Thing

INTRODUCTION


This is a pretty interesting show, a show with hardly any advertisement with nothing more to guess from then that it is from the producer of dawn of the dead the zombie flick. So to be clear and to set things straight, this show has nothing to do with

I repeat, it has absolutely nothing to do with that guy above.
Time for the official movie poster, its over here

ambiguous ain't it? well don't worry, as you go along in the show proper you will realize that the antagonist of this show hardly looks like that either.

This show is classified by wikipedia to be sci-fi horror, but I suppose a more appropriate genre would be thriller, because unlike the common horror flicks that we see this is not a ghost story. The bad guy is made known early, and yet due to the nature of the bad fella, the show is able to retain its thrill right to the end. To be any more descriptive would be to spoil the show for you and hence you either have to wiki it yourself or see it.

Apparently this movie was already made in the 1982 and this movie actually manages to tie in into the beginning of the 1982 movie which is in some way, pretty cool.

Storyline


The storyline for this show is actually pretty strong, being sci fiction explains a lot of the things that happens, i.e. Fiction and the reaction of the people are actually pretty realistic. In fact this show works because the reactions of the people are pretty realistic and I would believe that I myself would act in this manner given the circumstances.

Also points for how it ties into the past movie which would be a plus point for all the followers of the previous show.

Another good point about this show is that the characters don't just stand there being all helpless and neither does it end too early like some other movies whereby the character merely just runs away and its all over. We can see the attempts of the characters to carry out certain actions and this keeps the movie fresh and interesting throughout.


Character


There are many characters in this show, in fact many characters seem to play a rather significant role, which is the problem. There are probably too many characters that lack distinction from each other to the extent that some characters that we thought are less important turn out to be pretty important and some that we originally view as very important characters die a bit too quickly.

Also because of the dying nature of the characters, there is pretty minimal development of the characters. As we do not see these characters often, the problem arises that we have no clue who and where did certain characters come from and who are they, and this detracts from the immersiveness of the show. None the less the show was brave in killing of quite a number of people and it seems to kill them in a pretty fair way. (meaning seemingly important characters do not seem to magically avoid death just cause they are important)


Cinematography


The cinematography for the most part is pretty good and believable, aside from revealing the bad guy too quickly, which is fine considering it is a thriller and not a ghost horror show, there ain't anything else that particularly sticks out. CGI is above average although there is room for improvements.


Music


Didn't notice anything particularly special about the music, probably not the focus of this movie but as it didnt hinder the show it is pretty fine.


Spectacle


Now this is where the show makes cuts above the rest. Its premise is pretty good in making it hard to dicern who is the bad guy and who is the good guy. It does a good job because in the end, everyone you see feels like a 50% chance to be good or bad. You might not understand what i am saying here but if you see the show for yourself you will know that this is a good thing. Overall it does the genre of being a thriller very well.

Overall


Storyline             : 4.5 (It is that special and well done i guess... as it is able to not lose its thrill till the end)
Character            : 3.5 (Little development, too many characters)
Cinematography  : 3.5 (Ok Cinematography, don't see any particular special emphasis)
Music                  : 3.5 (Ok Music, at least it didn't detract from the show)
Spectacle            : 4.5 (In the end it provided the audience with the chance to do some guessing)


Overall                : 3.9 (Overall a good attempt, fans of the thriller genre should be able to appreciate this show but for all other genre lovers, if you just go in with hopes to just try to enjoy the show and appreciate the genre, you probably will find it a good attempt )

As usual please comment if you have the uncontrollable need to make your voices known :)

Movies: Real Steel

Movies: Real Steel

INTRODUCTION


Transformer meets the shredding claws of wolverine!!!! That's what this show is about....

Unfortunately, Hugh Jackman is not the all cool wolverine in this show, and neither are the robots able to transform. None the less, this is probably one of the more popular movies out in the theaters currently and rightly so, with its strong story line and pretty good cast.

For those who really for a moment thought that this was a mash up of x-men and transformers, this is the real synopsis of the show and what you should be expecting. In the not so far future, boxing has been replaced by boxing with robots and the story follows the struggle of the character Jackman plays, as he tries other robots while babysiting his son who has a knack and attachment for one other robot and basically how the relationship grows while the boxing action gets more and more intense.

A good genre to put this show under would be action and drama at the same time. And as seen from previous other shows, the combination of these two genres is lethal. (Read best way to make money as it attracts the largest audience)

Without further adu, lets move into the judgment ring.....

Storyline

The storyline is pretty fresh, a combination of what guys like i.e. action packed robot on robot action, with a fair bit of what girls would like i.e. the relationship between a father and his son and how it develops. But of course if in your mind you keep thinking of transformer action, you won't see it here and if you think of some real emotional backstory and great development you are really seeing the wrong show.

None the less, the show makes a daring effort on both fronts and for the most part come out pretty convincingly. It also makes full use of the 2 hours and doesn't seem overly draggy just for the sake of length. In fact there could be very well be a 3 hour version that fleshes out the story and characters more and it would still not seem boring. Pity because of the lack of time, the back and side stories are not as explored as I personally would have liked.

Character

Characterwise, the staring roles are played mostly pretty convincing. Hugh's character and acting is fantastic considering how more used i am to seeing him slashing people around. But he acts like a pretty convincing father on both end of the spectrum from good to bad dad.

To be honest, I didn't really like the little boy's acting although its probably more of a script thing then the way he acted. He acted the part pretty well, but I still find it pretty strange would carry out certain actions in the movie. I guess maybe in that timeline, the kids are really different.

The robots for the most part are pretty varied and they represent their backgrounds very well in the show. Only grouse is in the short time frame, we see too little of the various bots with there being only like 5 major robots in this show with significant parts. In the end the robots are also pretty generic in the ways they fight with perhaps the only difference that is significant being the control methods. 

Theres also too little of him....

There are also some characters that have TOO little value despite being in the show. Like the woman.... there was opportunity of a better improved storyline but I guess there was too much content in this show as time had to be set aside to build up the emotional part of the show.

Cinematography

Cinematography is good, able to capture the atmosphere of most of the show and there are a few well done shots to help build up the emotional attachment to the characters of the show. Angles are good to put perspective and immersiveness of the audience.

As expected of the CGI of the western world, it is impressive and well blended into the real world unlike the previous chinese movie that I reviewed. See below....

Music

As previously spoken on the music of movies, there were about 2 or 3 moments when I noticed that the music was pretty apt and adding to the experience. Hence there is nothing to fault and as a whole the music added much to the movie.

Spectacle

When rated separately as a drama and a action flick, this show would merely rate about a 4, but the length as well as the flow of the show in these two genre was pretty good and for a combined genre I guess the rating should be higher.

Overall

Storyline                   : 4 (Combined two genre for best ticket sales, but of course both sides not as good)

Character                 : 4 (I'm sorry but the acting and script of the boy got to me)

Cinematography       : 4.5 (Good effects, good angles, good immersiveness)

Music                       : 4 (Good moments of music, but no lasting impression in the end)

Spectacle                  : 4.5 (Combining genre and should satisfy both action and emotional camps)

Overall                      : 4.2 (Lovers of the two genres individually will be able to enjoy this show, people who appreciate the combined genre will enjoy the show more, but if u really wanna find faults and trouble with this show, or want to expect the best of both worlds, you might be slightly disappointed. Overall, most people will be able to enjoy this show as the two individual genre caters to the largest majority of the population already, and its done reasonably well)

Please comment if you have anything you want to say. even if u just agree with me you can say it too :D

Till next time

Movies: The Sorcerer and the White Snake

Movies: The Sorcerer and the White Snake

INTRODUCTION


This movie is not that popularly advertised and seems to be following a popular folklore. However like many layman and people out there, I have had no clue what the story is about besides the fact that this is some show about some demon white snake and her love affair with some humans.

SHOCKINGLY, this movie wasn't the boring lovey dovey drama fest that i thought it would be. In fact this movie can easily be classified into the realms of Action movie. Action with tons and tons of CGI. Chinese action shows generally fall into the kungfu or pugilistic kinda movies and this show really surprised me in how the story was written and adapted into the big screen.

The story as told by oral tradition can be read from wikipedia at this link here

As you can see, Jet Li in all his kungfu glory is supposed to be the star of this show, but to be honest, the real star of this show is its action packedness and its very well done story line at least to me.

For the male viewers, you are not forgetten in this show and will enjoy the treat of pretty good CGI action as well as Eva Huang

There is even a cameo by Vivian Hsu as can be seen here...

Ok enough with the eye candies, time to tell you all what I expected and what I got from this show.

Plot


Like I said earlier, this movie spans across at least 3 genres here. The first is Love story drama, the next would be action and the third genre is comedy. Yea i am not kidding. This show manages to even put it quite a few comedic scenes into a really sad and yet ACTION packed story. And it does all these 3 genres really really well.

Story wise it does keep pretty closely to what i got from the wikipedia source and the action portions all add  much to the storyline and the background unlike some movies that just focus on action and rip the storyline to shreds.

All three genres are nicely mixed together and there is no moment whereby you feel that there is TOO much of one of the genre that it detracts from the entirety of the story.


Characters


Character development in this show is pretty strong with only a few characters getting slightly neglected but still having and adding to the story in their own ways. There are some other characters that are added for comedic effect but even then their presence doesn't disrupt but rather adds to the fun of the show.

For knowledge however, there is actually no real sorcerer in this show but rather something that is pretty different from a sorcerer as according to conventional definitions. So the english title of this show is kinda spiffy. Just thought I will say this for now in case people are expecting Gandalf to make some special appearance.

At the very end of the show, if we are able to emphathize just a tiny bit, we will be able to appreciate and understand why the characters of the show do things in their respective manners and why they are unable to compromise. All these little touches make the show a very touching one indeed towards the end.


Cinematography


The Cinematography is pretty strong for a Chinese CGI movie as far as the current movie standards go. Unlike the western counterparts however, it is pretty obvious in this show what portions are CGI. Filming angles in the show are well thought out to show the magnitude and bring out the action elements of the show and this results in a more enjoyable experience in those sequences.


Music


The music in this show can be said to be pretty fantastic. This is a good example of a show whereby the music visibly adds to the immersion of the show and it makes the action parts more exciting, the funny parts more enjoyable and the sad parts that bit more tear jerking. Of course I didn't cry cause I am heartless but that's the extent of how well the show stands out from the competition. Heres the theme music here


Spectacle


This show does very well in bringing out the folklore in a way that can be enjoyed by the modern man and although I have a certain feeling that there are many previous movies that were filmed based on the same story line, this movie was still pretty new to me and it was a totally different experience.

It does the action segment well and wows the audience with elaborate effects (Might even be too elaborate at times), the drama during the show is pretty well acted out and the light hearted moments are pretty good coming from a straight faced monk at times.


Overall


Plot                        : 4.5 (Storyline has always been there, but the portrayal is done very well)
Character               : 4 (Development is there, there are some characters that can be developed a bit more)
Cinematography     : 4 (CGI a bit too obvious, but overall still pretty good and shows magnitude)
Music                     : 4.5 (Very good music, especially the theme song)
Spectacle               : 4.5 (Does all three genres pretty well.)

Overall                   : 4.3 (Lovers of chinese action CGI will definitely like this, and if u like any of the other two genres i.e comedy and action or action and love story, you will most likely be able to enjoy this show)

All in all this show exceeded my expectation of just a lovey dovey drama with its outlandish action scenes. As long as you are interested in having fun with a good story line for this show, you will most definitely enjoy it.

Any comments please don't hesitate to add below :)

Movies: 1911

Movies: 1911

INTRODUCTION

This movie is tauted as the 100th movie of Jackie Chan and what a fitting way to commemorate the moment with him directing and staring in his own movie for the whole world to see. To the not historically inclined, this movie actually follows a portion of China's historical timeline, and i believe it is the period whereby China moves from fedualism i.e the kinda ruling where there is the empress or emperor into a Republic ruling system where they have a president that is elected by the people to be ruling the people.

So this is how you will see Jackie throughout his movie, but during the course of the movie, we not only follow his character who is some guy named Keqiang or something like that, (people in those time kinda have two different Chinese names or something) we will also be following the path of this guy called Sun Wen which i believe is a main character in quite a few other movies already as one of the proponents of the idea of forming a republic.

As you can see from the above introduction, I am not really a strong follower of Chinese history, and on the account that most other people I know might not be strong followers of Chinese history in the first place also, therefore this review will be able to answer your question of whether you should see this or not.

Plot


From the plot itself, this is where I was initially pretty confused. The trailers that you see in the pre-movie portion seems to depict this show as a action flick, along with Jackie's involvement, and it has many scenes of people rushing in ala saving Private Ryan. It even has a few moments where you see the empress decked in her traditional chinese dresscode with all the chinese and their hair tails and magistrate looking attires.

Saving Private Jackie?!?

Which timeline are we in again?

So it is actually pretty interesting and yet confusing to see stuff like that with all the guns and modern fighting scenes along with people who are decked in traditional attire that I have expected during the entire show to be able to do some kungfu and fly around the place. But I guess in some way, this adds to the uniqueness of the show as it is indeed at the threshold of modern advancement. In fact there are even quite a few entertaining speeches of English during the visit of Sun Wen to the western world to get support from them.

However, this is where the problem lies. It tries to show itself in the trailers as a action flick, but the last half hour or so, is actually very political based in nature with hardly anymore fighting but instead some issues on politics.

To the extent that the show towards the back seems to resemble some documentary in some way and this might put some people off if they expect the wrong things.

Storyline wise though, the plot is solid as long as we are able to empathize and understand the situation and the way the lifestyle is. I personally enjoyed the part whereby everything done by the Empress dowager and her son is met with such strange respect from her subordinates.


Character


The show focuses on a few main characters and does a pretty ok job. However, the actions and reactions of some of the main characters are sometimes not consistant. It also tries to flesh out the background of some minor characters and kills them pretty quickly in the beginning of the show that might help some people empathize better with their characters but overall their moments are too short and hence might feel slightly redundant.

There are also some actions taken by the starring characters that seem to have no real basis, or at least hard to infer some basis from the way they have done things so far. I am also confused about the role of this western guy who meets Sun Wen and goes participate in the war all of a sudden and just disappears for a good part of the show before reappearing without doing anything in particular.


Cinematography


The Cinematography in this show is actually particularly good, having good angles to emphasize certain points and there very smart usage of text over to help explain the situation to the people. Perhaps a slight grouse would be that the time passes a bit too quickly and some sections of time are actually really too short periods that pass too quickly.

Overall however, the way the show does things to show the historical aspects as well the action components are pretty good and they add better understanding of the show as well as some level of immersion.

They are also pretty daring to bring the audience not only to the traditional chinese areas but also into some of the western world to see what Sun Wen was doing overseas and as a result, although slightly confusing to determine which timeline you are really in, it still adds some novelty along with the many Chinese accented English speeches made in the show.


Music


The music is actually pretty good in the show and it adds particular value. I realised that it is actually pretty hard to notice the presence of the music in the show because we tend to be more immersed in the visual aspects and not notice the more subconscious effect the music has. However, since during the movie it did come to my mind that the music was fitting, I guess this is good enough measure that the music was actually pretty well done.


Spectacle


This show if rated based on the action genre, it will only pass off as average. Fortunately, I have to rate it based on the genre historical action and in this case, it does make a good attempt on both fronts recreating the historical situations in the relevant places, as well as doing a good job story telling as required for a historical flick. The action portions is also not particularly neglected and hence the show does pretty well for its unique genre. Only thing is that the action portion is COMPLETELY removed in the end portion of the show which in my opinion will be quite off putting for people who wanted the action.


Overall

Plot                        : 3.5 (Good storyline, but attempts to join the two genre made it harder for action lovers to appreciate)
Character               : 4 (There is development of the main characters but lack of consistency and many introduced subcharacters made it a bit confusing)
Cinematography     : 4.5 (Done pretty well for both action and historical genre)
Music                     : 4 (Managed to notice and appreciate the music, hence it is better then usual)
Spectacle               : 3.5 (Problem is during that action portion people will like the action part, but most people who love action don't really appreciate politics which is the historical part of the show and takes up a sizable time portion at the back of the show before it ends)

Overall                    : 3.9
Two genres that are done well on its own, but when put together seem to have a conflict in the usual mindset of people. A person who likes Political shows and Action shows however, will be able to like this show, but besides that for a action thrill seeker, it is really a put off at the end of the show even though admittedly the action portions are still pretty good at the initial part of the show.

Hence it is probably best if you already know what you are going to watch before going in having expectation of a nice action flick.

One more thing to note, being a flick by Jackie Chan, in this entire show, there is the standard Jackie Chan moment where we get to see that even after 100 movies, Jackie still has some kungfu powers.

This show is ending its run pretty soon so if you still have interest in it, don't pass off the chance :)